


Life Will Change

by Em_Shepard



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Best bro Ryuji, Crushes, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Friends to Lovers, He doesn't know what friendship really is, Maybe OOC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona users can have palaces, Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Unhealthy Relationships, borderline yandere goro i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27111583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Shepard/pseuds/Em_Shepard
Summary: A tale of a masked detective and the thief who thought she steal the darkness from his heart.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Female Reader, Akechi Goro/Reader, Reader & Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Comments: 5
Kudos: 65





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction ever so yeah, pls be gentle.
> 
> I'm also going to try and write a romance despite having 0 experience in it!
> 
> Gonna give Akechi some love, but he warned that their relationship will start out rather unhealthy. 
> 
> I reread over my work but I admit idk how to spell so if you see something wrong please let me know! Thanks!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of our Heroine's tale

Prologue

AN: C/N - Code Name 

It was all going as a normal heist should at first. 

The Phantom Thieves have infiltrated the palace days ahead of schedule, securing a route to the treasure just as before. The first time, it was a bit of an issue, having to outsmart the casino system by rewiring the main computers so we could get the necessary amount of coins to gain access to the upper floors. The second time, it should have been a breeze. Everything was unlocked, and the treasure was just a simple elevator ride up onto the highest floor of the casino. Maybe, she thought, this could have been one of the easiest palaces they could have chosen. The treasure was there, just as everyone expected, along with the ruler of the palace, Sae Nijima.

The battle itself… was extraordinary. 

Once Sae was defeated, the plan was to take the treasure, change her heart, and escape. Unfortunately, something went wrong somewhere. Oracle was starting to freak out as her computer text popped up around her, showing the vast number of enemies in the area. “Enemy readings.. When did they?” She swiped up on her console for a brief moment. “They are gathering outside!” 

“For real? What the hell’s going on?” Skull exclaimed. 

“Look at those numbers..” Fox muttered, looking over the shorter girl's shoulder. 

“This doesn’t look good..” [C/N] whispered. 

“We defeated the Palace ruler and even stole the treasure, yet the Shadows are still restless.. It doesn’t make any sense! What’s going on here?” Mona turned his gaze to Oracle. 

“There are more coming!?” This’ll be dangerous if we don’t do something!” She said, as a rough patch of static began to echo through her terminal. She put a hand up to her headphones, trying to decipher the strange frequency. The Phantom Thieves all stared at her for a few seconds until she spoke up. “Huh?”

“We need to go now! Those guys in black suits are almost here. We’ll be done for if we get surrounded.” Mona interjected, his blue gaze shifting around to everyone in the group. Queen shifted under his stare uncomfortably, bringing one of her arms up to her chest sheepishly. 

“A team this large would be discovered immediately. We had best split up for our escape.” She paused, letting out a deep sigh. “Although we’ll need someone to act as a decoy.. No, that’s too dangerous.” 

“Go, everyone.” Their leader, Joker, said. 

Everyone looked at him wide eyed for a few brief seconds, until [C/N] spoke up. “Joker! Are you planning on distracting them all by yourself?” He could see her eyes straining on him from behind her mask, almost tearing into his soul. He gave a quick, affirmative nod in her direction. 

“Let him do it, [C/N].” Skull rested a gloved hand on her shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, “He’s quiet, but once his mind’s made up, he’s not gonna take no for an answer.” The blond haired boy took a few steps towards Joker, handing him a silver briefcase that contained the treasure. “I’m sure you ain’t gonna die. It’s you we’re talkin’ about here.” 

“Please don’t do anything too reckless, okay?” Noir whispered.

“I’ll never forgive you if you don’t make it back.” Panther commented, slightly agitated.  


“Even more are coming!” Oracle shouted again, zooming in on their current location on the minimap. 

Crow turned his back towards the group, notioning towards the door they came from to gain access to the rooftop. “It seems we best hurry.”

“We’ll see you l-” Queen was cut off.

[Name] looked down at her feet, then back towards Joker. “I’m coming with you. If they manage to catch you, there is a chance you won’t come back. If we go together and split up once they find us, it will decrease the amount of people after you. You are our leader, Joker.”

His dark grey irises burned into hers. 

This was not part of the plan. He had told her that he knew Akechi was a traitor, planning to root them out and ambush them. The plan was to go along with the ambush, for him to go alone and get captured. She knew he may or may not come back alive, the chances were fifty fifty of each. Sure, her idea made some sense, but there was no back up plan to shift her and her cognitive self between realities. If she were to die, there was no way she would live. Why are you doing this? Akira thought to himself. You still believe he wouldn’t hurt us, don’t you?” 

[Name], herself, knew this was not part of the plan. 

She didn’t want to completely ruin their group's plan to get back at Akechi, but.. She couldn’t believe it. The gentleman who has shared multiple cups of coffee with her over stormy days, the boy who gave her residence when she would get into arguments with her brother and run off for the night, the man who was always there to listen to her problems. But, she could see the cracks beneath his facade every so often. The anger, and intense hatred that burned in his eyes as any of them mentioned Shido, or his name popped up on the television. The clenching of his fists when she tells him she considers him a friend. Maybe he doesn’t believe it, or maybe it's too much for him to handle. But, she does not fully believe he is heartless enough to capture and kill them all. Deep down, they were friends. 

“Joker, if you get captured it’s over.” She said. The boy clad in black was about to open his mouth when the sound of a helicopter broke through. 

“Go!” Joker shouted towards the rest of the Phantom Thieves, splitting off in another direction. Following behind him, the girl chased after. 

The loud ringing of an alarm bounced off the walls all throughout the casino. Unlike the other palaces though, it was not crumbling in. The cognitive guests began to look around at each other, concern and panic written all over their faces. Men in black suits stepped through the main entryway of the palace, two holding guns in their hands scanning the area, while the one in the middle was peering around the room looking for their targets. From above, two black figures leapt across the beams in the roof. Eventually Joker stopped on a hanging light, grabbing ahold of one of the wires holding it up, observing the men below him. The woman behind him stopped on an opposite end of the light, whispering for them to hurry and escape. The moonlight rained down on them, as one of the men from below happened to see their figures.

“Hey, up there!” He yelled. One of the men in black put a hand up to his ear, calling in about their current location. 

[C/N] glared at her leader shoving him on the shoulder. “I told you we’d get caught!” She whispered. 

The black haired boy gave her a quickened nod, and leapt onto another multicolored light slightly below them. 

“Good! Now get running!”” Mona’s voice chimed through the earpiece we both wore.

“Stay calm and you can get away now!” Oracle came through next. The same static as before once again came through. Though they could not make it out, it sounded like garbled radio audio from the agents below them. 

“Hmm, what was that?” Her voice played through once again. 

“Hurry Joker! We have to concentrate on getting away.” The girl standing beside him urged him on. They took off on the few platforms ahead of them, Mona commenting that Joker showing himself to the crowd was an excellent idea. As the other members commented over their ear pieces, the two thieves continued a bit further until a few men in black stood on another beam, across the room from them.

“Let’s go! We have to get out of here!” [C/N] shouted, tugging on the end of Joker’s sleeve. She leapt over a strand of archways, him following only a little behind. When they both landed on the higher story, two more agents stood at the top of the stairs, aiming their guns at them. “Stop right there!” Then, from behind, another one leapt down from the ceiling, circling around them. Joker and [C/N] stood back to back, until she looked over her shoulder and gave him a smirk. “Let’s show them how it's done.”

The man came from behind, charging towards the girl. She ducked down as Joker leapt over her, landing on the shadows shoulders, and ripping off his mask. It bubbled into a red and black slime, soon turning into a hideous, almost minotaur looking beast. 

“Persona!” [C/N] shouted, as from behind her, the persona emerged. It took the form as a beautiful, long black haired maiden on top, but her bottom half was that much like a snakelike dragon. It glew a bright blue, with scales covering her up to her breasts. Both the master and the persona has a set of ethereal dragon winds, while orbs of fire surrounded her persona. “Kiyohime! Eigaon!” The persona opened her arms wide, as the black and red magic swarmed around the minotaur beast. 

Joker had summoned Arsene, doing a similar attack as her, finishing off the beast. 

As the beast was finished, it seemed as if time had almost stopped for a brief few seconds. Her persona turned towards her, staring down at the girl. “Remember everything… The bonds you have forged with your friends. Do not make the same mistake as I once have, and let the feelings of love consume you so. If you are fated to continue past this point, remember them. They will be your shining light, do not betray them.” In the next instant, everything was moving again, and Joker was staring at her as the shadow disappeared. 

“Good! You defeated them with ease.” Mona came through again.

“More of them? Please, be careful!” Oracle said. 

Three more shadows popped up from the ground, once again surrounding the two. The girl was looking at all the shadows, arm ready on her rapier to strike at any moment, while Joker was looking for a quick means of escape. He shouted for her to follow. The second she turned her head, one of the shadow’s swung a thunderous blade in her direction, nearly cutting deeply into her. She quickly backspringed back, looking up to see Joker standing on a podium above her. She leapt up, nearly not making it, only for him to grab a hold of her hand and hoisting her up with him. 

“Joker! [C/N]! Behind you, go through the door!” Oracle patched through once again, the two shifting their gaze over to the set of double doors across the room. 

The three shadows below were already dashing towards the stairs to climb their way up to them. Joker hurried on ahead to the doors, noticing the fellow thief not following him. 

“Go Joker! I’ll distract them!” She shouted. 

His eyes widened.

For the few brief seconds they stood there, the trio of shadows was already closing in on them. “Go Joker! Get out of here!” [C/N] shouted. 

Joker growled in response, quickly turning and running up the stairs behind him. 

[C/N] gave one final glance in his direction until she turned towards the shadows, winking in their direction. “See ya!” Turning her gaze towards one of the swinging lights she was on earlier, she unleashed her grappling hook, leaping from the floor she stood on and swinging above the crowd of people below, and onto another set of lights that were formerly occupied by the men in black, now empty due to her and Joker running amuck. Her feet hit the ground, and she wobbled a little bit due to an uneasy landing. 

Quickly catching herself, she leapt from light to light, entering through a set of doors the guards must have used in order to get up there. Stealthily, she made her way down the stairs, hiding behind a crate at the bottom of the steps. She must have been in one of the staff only rooms, since various gray crates were scattered on shelves for as far as the eye could see. It was like a labyrinth there, great for sneaking, but bad for seeing anything right around the corner. She was about to make another dash to another crate when a voice came through her headpiece.

“..Should.. Get.. way..” It was Oracle, but unlike earlier, her voice was very distorted. She could hardly make out what she was saying. 

“Hello? Oracle?” [C/N] whispered.

“Can.. hear.. Us?!” Skull came through, voice filled with panic.

“Can’t.. Her! Not..-” Oracle's voice was drowned out in even more static. 

“Crow.. -nd him..” Fox came through that time.

“Guys can you hear me? Where are you?” She spoke up a little but, still huddled behind the box. In her hand, she played with a sleep bomb in case she needed a quick escape, looking over her shoulder every few seconds. The voices on her ear piece were suddenly completely overrun with static, she couldn’t even make out any other noise, and it seems they couldn’t hear her either? Dammit, these men in black must have cut out their communication. What was that about Crow?

While pondering her next move, she heard footsteps aplenty running around the big, warehouse like room. It was definitely heavy boots, the same as the guards before were wearing. In her hand, the smoke bomb was about to blow, and her escape way was set. She will crawl under one of the huge shelves, and keep her presence hidden. They’ll think she ran off. 

“Find her.” A familiar voice said. “And make sure she stays alive.” 

Her ears perked at his voice.

[C/N] was no longer paying attention to her surroundings, scanning the area in search of threats. Instead, his voice rang through her head, as her mind began to wonder if what Akira said was true. Was he really going to kill them? Her heart began to race as the footsteps picked up. It was often that she would become panicked during heists, especially during the beginning of the Phantom Thieves. Now though, she wasn’t going to get caught, it was almost like was being hunted. New plan, go back the way she came and try to make it to the set of doors Joker went through. 

Gods she was stupid. She should have listened to him, to the plan everyone came up with. Why did she do this? Trying to play the brave little thief was going to get her killed. At least Joker was experienced in that department. 

The bootsteps came closer to where she was located.

She ran for it.

All of the shadows had to have heard her running back towards the stairs at this point. 

“Over here! We found one!” One of the men shouted, though he was out of her sight. Bolting up the stairs, she heard the footsteps all chasing her from behind. 

[C/N] made it to the top of the stairs, standing back on top of a platform in front of a bunch of lights hanging from the ceiling. She would have to use her grappling hook again if she plans on leaving, since there was nowhere for her to jump from this point. Eyeing the light she used before, she swung her grappling hook back, only to hear a clicking sound as she did so. 

The girl froze in her tracks.

That was most definitely the sound of a gun.

“I found you.” The voice said, softly, eerily softly. “Drop it.” 

[Name] stood there frozen in complete fear, unable to process what's going on. She could not force herself to turn around and meet the gaze of the one she knew so well. 

“I said, drop it.” The gun was now on the back of her head as he growled out the order. 

The grappling hook fell to the ground with a low clink. Both of her hands were now raised in the air as she stared out into the sea of people in front of her. She felt a hand on her right thigh, instantly stiffening as he reached for her gun holster. The detective’s hand slowly trailed up her thigh as he reached for the gun in her holster. 

“Now the gun.” 

He shifted against her back, bringing his left hand to move the gun to her temple. First, he ran his hand along the pistol in the holster, then back down to her thigh, almost playfully. Akechi leaned in close to her, enough for her to feel his hot breath trail down her neck. She stood, a red taint flushed on her cheeks as he toyed with her. He removed her weapon slowly, discarding it, 

“And the mask.” 

He brought his hand around her waist, keeping her in his grasp as she stood there. Whatever he was doing, he was enjoying it to no end. She could hear him let out a playful chuckle, as she slowly brought a hand up to her own face, slowly taking off her mask. The arrogance in his laughter, the pure evil. It was not laughter she has heard from him before. The mask disappeared into a bright blue flame in her hands, leaving her now with no persona, or weapon to fight back.

“You know,” Akechi said. “I didn’t plan on you going along too. I had to make some last minute plans thanks to you.”

Under his grasp, his pressure to break her, she stayed silent. 

“If you’re going to kill me, then do it.” The harsh whisper escaped her lips as tears began to form. 

He brought his head closer to her face, giving her an almost teasing purr as he squeezed his hand around her tighter than before, the gun to her temple shifting closer. “I was unsure if I should or not. But, friends wouldn’t kill each other.. Would they?” He whispered softly. 

Suddenly, one of the guards rushed up the stairs, causing Akechi to turn his head around. 

“We got their leader, Sir.”

[Name] shifted her head over her shoulder, as she received the news. Even when she tried to help, they still managed to capture him. Yes, this was the plan, but god, she screwed it up. She’s going to die. It’s too late for them to save her.

“Good. You know where to take him.” The Detective Prince commented, the girl in his grasp suddenly breaking free. 

“Joker!” She cried out, the last bit of motivation to do anything left. Before she could turn around to retaliate, the end of Akechi’s pistol knocked her out cold. 

She wasn’t too sure where she was exactly.. Or even remember what happened. It was dark and hazy most of the time. She thinks she was awake, but it felt like nothing more than a dream most of the time. What were they doing to her? They were injecting her with something but.. She couldn’t recall what with. It made her head sway, but at least it numbed the pain as some of the officers beat her. The girl currently sat in a chair, arms handcuffed behind her so she couldn’t move. In front of her was a small desk, big enough for one person. The room itself was barren of any color, only grays, and the black of the suits the strange men wore. 

Her body was bruised and scratched. Her shujin uniform was tattered at this point, and dirty from being forced onto the ground so many times. One threatened to break her leg, one threatened to crush her skull open as he stood on her head, one promised to cut off each one of her fingers, it was a never ending process. She didn’t break though. She will not give up any information about the Phantom Thieves. 

It’s been days since she's had food or sleep for more than five minutes. They gave her the bare minimum possible, enough to keep her on the brink of life. 

Akira must have been in this building too. She wondered if he was getting treated the same way, or if he was even still alive. Maybe, he was already out and looking for her?

As her mind began to wander and her vision darkened, the cold stinging feeling of water woke her body awake. She let out a gasp and sat straight up as one of the guards threw a pale of water over her.

“Looked like you were about to fall asleep there.” The man said.

She looked around at her surroundings again shaking at her chains.

“Lookin' just like your friend there.” He said, forcibly grabbing her by her hair and yanking her up. “When he did that, we beat the shit outta him.” He threw her back down, and she let out a small yelp in response.”

So Akira was still here. 

“All you gotta do is cooperate, or else you’ll get another shot.” He repeated himself, hovering over her as she lay against the wall. She glared up at him, keeping her mouth shut. “Your friend has already signed his confession, all you gotta do, is sign yours.” 

Her [color] eyes widened, and he reached into his breast pocket to pull out a pen. She stared up at him with mixed feelings. Did Akira really sign it? Or maybe, he was just telling her that so she would sign?

As he was eyeing her up, there was a knock on the door to her room. One of the guards standing outside the door opened it, only for the young detective to walk in. He was dressed in his typical school uniform, the beige blazer and black gloves. He looks just like the man she thought was her friend before, the charming prince, not the treacherous leech who brought her here.. Yet, she couldn’t find herself to hate him. 

“Akechi-san, Welcome. I was just convincing her to sign her confession.” The man in the back suit commented, shifting his stance to bow towards his younger superior. The boy waved a gloved hand at him, and set his silver suitcase on the desk in front of her. Akechi dismissed the guards currently in the room, most of them looking at him in confusion. “Her methods of attacks are unknown, sir. We do not know what she is capable of.” 

“I said, it will all be fine. I can handle it from here.” He commented, a seemingly innocent smile on his face. The same smile he used around her when they drank coffee, is the same fake smile greeting her when he was about to kill her. Joker was right.

As the door shut, the two of them sat alone in the room. She felt anxious under both him and the cameras all pointed at her, her dazed orbs looking up at him as she sat up against the wall.

“Please take a seat.” He motioned towards the seat, manners of a gentleman. 

[Name] stood up, and sat down in the seat she was once in.

“I came here to make a deal with you, [Name.]” He opened up his suitcase, laying out a file, and his gun. She stiffened up as she recalled how she was captured.  
“This is your confession. You have quite a list, everything from blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons, obstruction of justice, and even manslaughter. This can all be erased, including your past as a Phantom Thief.” 

Her eyes narrowed at him.

“All you have to do is work with me.” He smiled, meeting her gaze.

“Work with you?” She questioned.

“You see, it was not my intention for you to get captured as well. I mean, you’re my friend, correct? Friends help each other out. I’ll help you if you help me, [Name].”

Gods she loved the way her given name sounded natural coming from him. 

“The last thing I’d want to do is kill you.” He shut his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. “You mean so much to me.” 

“What do you want me to do.” She whispered.

“Help me find and kill the rest of the Phantom Thieves.”

And suddenly, the words of her Persona echoed.

“Remember everything… The bonds you have forged with your friends. Do not make the same mistake as I once have, and let the feelings of love consume you so. If you are fated to continue past this point, remember them. They will be your shining light, do not betray them.” 

She knew what she would do.


	2. Chapter 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a cold winter's day, our heroine finds herself buried within the warmth of a crowded coffee shop, and shares her seat with a mysterious boy.

Chapter One

It was the third week in January, and snow was falling from the sky onto the busy roads of Tokyo. Students, both male and female, cluttered the roads outside of Shujin Academy, many bundled in large overcoats and earmuffs to warm themselves over the frigid temperatures. The dismissal bell of the school gently echoed through the relatively small neighborhood of Aoyama-Itchome, ringing in the ears of the students. Walking out from the academy, was a girl wrapped in a black overcoat, and a deep red scarf wrapped around her neck. Her cheeks were a faint red, and the tip of her nose as well, while catching a few snowflakes that fell upon her. She readjusted her black leather bag over her shoulder, pulling out her phone to check her text messages. 

Her close friend Ryuji, a blond haired ‘baddie’ in the grade below her, sent her a text, saying how he won’t be able to walk her back today. A month or so ago, the coach of the track team claimed that Ryuji assaulted him, therefore breaking his femur in self defense. The poor kid was still recovering from such a tragic accident, currently in physical therapy to try and recover. [Name] did not believe that though. While Ryuji was quick to anger a lot, she knew he was at least smart enough not to attack the teacher first. Even if he did, how do you just break someone's femur! She shook her head, once again glancing at the phone. 

[Name]: It’s okay, I can make it myself. We’ll just have to postpone our coffee date for another day.

Ryuji: A date?! How come you never said that before!

He was quick to respond. She chuckled lightly, imagining the pink dust that probably made its way to his cheeks.

[Name]: Take care, Ryuji. I know you don’t like the coffee anyway. 

Ryuji: I promise, once my leg starts to get better, we can go somewhere else to hang for a bit, sound good? 

[Name] Definitely.

Making her way to the crowded train station, she was able to secure a seat alongside the wall. Glancing over the sea of people, she saw some familiar faces of her classmates. [Name] was not a socialite by any means, mostly keeping to herself unless someone approached her. She could not bring herself to talk to many of these strangers. 

A few trains stopped by over the course of thirty minutes, and she was unable to squeeze into any of them. Eventually, she was able to board one, only being pushed against the wall of the vessel as soon as it took off. Not her favorite way to travel, she’ll admit, but it was a lot better than being in a car. 

Soon arriving at her home station of Yongen-Jaya, she made her way off the platform. Knowing her older brother, he was probably still at work for the time being, so she wouldn’t need to check in with him yet. The girl lived in a set of quaint apartments a few blocks from the train station, giving her easy access to her school, a supermarket, a doctor’s office, and even a small cafe. As the weather began to grow colder, she enjoyed spending her time at the cozy little coffee shop down the road. ‘Nothing was more special than a hot meal of curry on a cold winter’s day’, as her mother used to say.

Walking down the street, a breeze of freezing air swept right past her. She brought a gloved hand up to her scarf, drawing it more up towards her face. If she was out here any longer, she would turn into a popsicle. 

Arriving at Leblanc, the girl slowly opened the door, hearing the faint little jingle of the bell as she stepped through into the warm room. The traces of frost on her face began to melt away, and the redness on her cheeks slowly started to fade as the heat settled in. Behind the counter was an older man, assumingly in his fifties, with slick black hair, a chinstrap and goatee. He was talking to a patron, soon shifting his deep gray eyes over to her, a smile crawling on his face as he recognized her. The girl took off her winter coat, hanging it up on a nearby coat rack before making her way into one of the booths. The cafe was currently almost filled to the brim with people, quite uncommon for the backstreet locale. 

“Welcome, Miss [Last Name].” Sojiro Sakura, the owner of the cafe, greeted her. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Sakura. Seems like business is going good today.” She commented. He gave a small smile in her direction, noticing her beginning to unpack her bag, removing her schoolwork. 

“Studious as ever, aren’t you? Here, have one on the house.” Sojiro turned around towards a bag of opened coffee beans, scooping a cup out before putting them into a grinder. She bowed from her seat, a smile plastered on her face. 

“Thank you, Mr. Sakura!” She removed various things from her bag, talking out a book, a journal, a folder and a few writing materials. The girl reached up and removed the scarf from her neck, dropping it on the seat next to her. Opening the book, she began to try her best to read, but as soon as she was about to start, the chime of the bell rang again, drawing her attention away.

“That’s it for today folks. Once again, I would like to thank you Akechi-san for joining us today on Good Morning Japan. Do you have anything you would like to tell to the people watching today?” Shinichi Yoshizawa, a famous television host, asked the brown haired boy. 

Goro Akechi currently sat on a red leather couch, a microphone being held out to him by the host. He turned his gaze towards the crowd that sat in the studio’s audience, before shifting to the cameras recording him. 

“Yes. I thank you for inviting me on your show, Yoshizawa-san. It has been quite an experience for me, but iI would also like to thank all of the people in the audience, and to the viewers. If it was not for you support, I don’t know if I would have ever been able to make it this far. I truly wish to thank you all.” A smile formed across his face as he brought a gloved hand up, slowly waving towards the camera. After the host talked for a little bit longer, he was dismissed from the studio. Akechi took a few steps off stage, various members of the audience swarming around him asking for his autograph. He was no huge star, but a student rising through the world of justice, making a name for himself, known as the rising “Prince Detective.”

He tended to the crowd for a few minutes, until he soon made his leave, heading back to his room to get his belongings. Once in his room, he let out a long sigh, putting all of his miscellaneous files back into his briefcase. 

Gods, he hated this. It doesn’t matter how many times he is forced in front of an audience, he’ll always hate it. He was able to put up a false smile for quite some time, but still, having to answer to all of these strange fans got to be pretty absurd. The Detective knew that the only way for him to gain any reputation was to make appearances like this though. Once all of his things were gathered, he picked up his suitcase, and left the station.

He took a few steps out, staring up at the gray clouds that hung over Akasaka Mitsuke. Small but fragile snow fell upon the streets, and the chill shade of the clouds only made it feel even colder than it actually was. He drew his beige blazer closer to himself, letting out another breath of air. It was freezing, and he should have at least brought something warmer. There was hardly any room in his case with all the items he was currently carrying around in it, so he would just have to make do. 

Akechi soon blended into the mass amounts of people that overtook the train station. He was stopped once or twice along the way, people asking him once again for photos or autographs. He gladly obliged, thus slowly draining his patience. Once on the train, he secured a seat, going through various messages that his current partner, Sae Nijima, has been sending him. Sending the necessary responses back, he suddenly felt drained, both mentally and physically. The weather was horrible, his patience with people was thinning.. He needs to go somewhere and clear his mind. 

Cafe Leblanc was a small excuse of a coffeehouse, but located in the backstreets. That would be the perfect place. Maybe there wouldn’t be too many people there, plus a nice cup of sweetened coffee was what he needed to clear his mind. 

“The Rising Detective Prince: A Special of Goro Akechi.” 

That was the name of the current show that was being broadcasted thanks to Good Morning Japan, and the cause for most of his annoyance. While also being a full on detective, he was also a full time student, which meant he, the amazing prince, would also need to study for exams. What little free time he had, he tried to spend it clearing his mind. Even if he was known as a genius, it's not like he knew the answer to every question. Studying was on the bottom of his list he needed to take care of. Either it be television, school, or his job as a whole, he was going unstable. Gods, he knew he needed a break. 

Akechi departed from the train, arriving in the relatively empty streets on Yongen-Jaya. While his hands were adorned with thin black gloves, he could feel the coldness finally set in. He was losing the feeling in his fingertips, and the nipping of his nose told him to hurry up. The boy quickened his pace slightly, soon arriving at Leblanc. 

He opened the door, praying that it was empty.

He needed a break.

[Name] found her eyes meeting those of chocolate ones. He was a boy probably around her age, with shaggy brown hair to his neck, dressed in some school uniform she didn’t recognize. He looked relatively surprised as he looked around the establishment, taking note of all the people that filled the place. Maybe, he was a frequent patron like her, she thought. Sojiro glanced up from the cup of coffee he was currently preparing for [Name], taking notice of the boy. He didn’t seem as thrilled about him as he did of her, she noted. Why though? 

“Seems like you might be out of luck today detective.” The older man glanced around. “I’m sorry.” 

A frown danced onto Akechi’s face, until the young heroine took notice of it.

“You can sit with me if you’d like.” [Name] offered, gesturing towards the empty seat in the booth. Akechi seemed a bit nervous, noticing all of her studying material laid out across the table. He was about to open his mouth to comment, but she pushed her stuff together, giving him a good chunk of the table to himself. “No, no, it’s okay. I just uh, well, I’m reading a book for English class.”

He nodded slightly, giving her a small smile. “Well, if you insist, my lady.”

“My lady?” She raised an eyebrow at him as he took a seat. “No need to be so formal.” 

Sojiro stepped around the counter, making his way over to the two. He set the cup of coffee in front of the young lady, shifting his gaze back over to Akechi. “Would you like anything?”

[Name] noticed how the boy lacked any sort of winter clothing. His face was pink, and there were still some snowflakes in his hair. All he had one were some gloves. Maybe he came from a family where they couldn’t afford winter clothing? As she continued to stare at him for a few seconds, she thought to herself. 

‘Maybe a nice warm bowl of curry will warm him up.. but...’ She remembered her lack of currency. She can afford one bowl, but they’d have to share. 

He ordered something, she wasn't too sure though since she was daydreaming. 

Both he and Sojiro stared at her, a look of worry on Sojiro’s face. “Hello? Do you want anything else?”

“Oh!” She blinked a few times, before reaching into her bag and retrieving her wallet. “Yes, can I please get a serving of curry? Oh and, please bring two spoons.” 

“Okay..” Sojiro seemed a bit confused, but still took their yen. As he left, the boy in front of her once again was staring at her with worry. 

“You plan on sharing with someone?”

Akechi seemed shocked almost. 

“Yes, you.” [Name] said so casually, like it was completely obvious. She reached down to her book, before picking it up once again. “You seemed cold. You didn’t come in with a jacket either so I assumed that maybe.. I dunno, you needed something to warm up.” 

Akechi kept staring at her. She was doing it because she thought he was cold? Not because of his star status? There was no hint of deception on her face. 

“Sooo.. what’s your name? It seemed like Mr. Sakura knows who you are. Are you a regular here too?” Her face lit up.

“You.. don’t know who I am?” Once again, he was unsure of this strange girl. He would understand some people not knowing who he was but, almost every young lady knew who he was, or at least seen him on TV. Presumptuous as it may be. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” She pondered. “I usually don’t talk to too many people around here, I’m sorry.” The girl shifted in her seat slightly, looking embarrassed, covering her face with her book. 

“My name is Goro Akechi.” The brown haired boy softened up a bit, giving her an alluring smile. 

She still covered her face with her book as she spoke.

“I am [Name] [Last Name], third year student at Shujin Academy.” Ah yes, he could tell. She wore a black blazer with their logo embroidered on the breast, and the signature plaid skirt. 

“You seem to be quite into that book.” He commented, trying to make some small talk. Sure, he came here today with the intent on relaxing but.. He was curious about her. It’s not too often he met someone that puzzled him.

“I have to read it for English class.” Lowering the novel slightly, her eyes met his again. “Do you like to read, Akechi-san?” 

“Of course, when I can find the time, anyway.”

Her eyes lit up.

“Are you busy studying too? Exams are coming up soon, I’ve been studying by butt off as well.” 

For a few minutes, they continued chatting. He told her where he was currently enrolled at, but how he tends to miss a lot of school due to his work in the police force, so he has to spend a lot of time teaching himself at home. The girl seemed surprised, but also confused as he told her about his job. Sojiro came over soon enough with a hot cup of coffee for Akechi, and a smoking bowl of curry for the two of them. 

“So you’re a detective.. And a student? I can’t even balance time between school, and making it to the train station.” [Name] chuckled, easily devouring into the curry dish in front of the two. 

He took a sip of his coffee, the feeling of stress throughout the day melting away. 

“Wait, Wait! Do you have any cool stories of catching criminals? Have you ever caught a murderer, no wait, maybe stopped a HUGE drug ring that was all around Tokyo? No, wait.” She leaned in closer to him, whispering. “You are here today because there is someone fishy in this cafe, right?” She looked around at all the customers with a cheeky smile on her face. 

“Well, I, uh-” Yeah, catching murders. He’s never actually solved any of the crimes he's claimed to have solved. He is the murderer. 

“No wait! We probably shouldn’t talk about that here, in case they catch on.” 

She was.. Quite a strange person. Was she joking?

“I haven’t enjoyed a conversation this much in awhile, Akechi-san.” The girl said sheepishly, now locking her eyes with him. 

Akechi took a bite of the shared curry, feeling a warmth in his chest. It must have been the meal, though. No one would enjoy being in his presence, if they did, he wouldn’t have been passed around from orphanage to orphanage. While in a small daydream, he heard her phone go off in her bag. She jumped slightly, quickly answering it.

“What’s up?” She answered, pausing. “You found an application? Where for?” 

He took a sip of his coffee once again.

“In Akihabara? I’ll hurry and get there as fast as I can.” The girl stood up, putting her phone back in her bag. She started quickly throwing all of her utensils in there, before picking up her scarf. Akechi looked at her confused as she seemed in a hurry, asking her what exactly was happening. 

“My brother and I share an apartment together. We.. have a hard time bringing in income since our parents died. There is a job opening at some sort of Cafe in Akihabara, and I have to hurry and get there. It was fun talking with you today, Akechi-san. “ [Name] gave a small bow towards him, before looking down at the mostly still full meal of curry. “The rest is yours, please have it. I hope you come back.”

Akechi stared at her in bewilderment, before once again giving her a charming smile. “Same for you, [Name]-san. I look forward to seeing you again.”

[Name] went over to the coat rack, sliding on her winter coat, before once again coming back to the booth to pick up her scarf. As she was about to put it on, she remembered the shivering, snow covered boy that walked in a few minutes after her, face a rosey red from the chilly wind. One glance at the boy, and she knew he would need it more than her. She handed him the red fabric.

“What’s this for?”

“For you. You looked pretty cold coming in here.”

He held the scarf in his hands, and before he could object, she was already out of the door. He looked back down at it, then back towards the door. 

“She’s one of a kind, isn’t she?” Sojiro said from behind the bar.

He didn’t respond at first, simply wrapping the scarf up and throwing it in his case.

“Yes, yes she is.”


	3. Chapter 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our Heroine is struggling at work, only for a star guest to arrive and make things a little more hectic.

Chapter 2:

(Sana is your Maid name, though you can change it to whatever!)

It has been weeks since she has last seen Goro Akechi.

Maybe she was never at the cafe at the right time, or maybe something happened to him and he just decided to stop going. She thinks, if she usually goes twice a week, she should have probably seen him once in all those weeks since January. It’s the first week of April now, and spring is finally here. Sure, it is still pretty cool once the sun goes down, but anymore, it’s back to the nicer weather. She hopes that he was able to make use of her scarf, at least use it to keep warm. She is also not sure why she hopes to constantly see him again, when she enters into the lonely little world of Leblanc. Maybe Sojiro notices too, as while she is quietly sitting in her normal booth studying, she’ll raise her eyes to the door every time the bell rings. It only bothers her slightly, she thinks, but she felt like the two of them could have been friends. 

[Name] is currently making her way to Akihabara, a leather bag thrown over her shoulder, much like the one she's always carrying around at school. Electric Town, as they call it, it’s an area of Tokyo most famously known for the amount of electronics stores and anime related stores in the area. It was pretty popular with the tourists usually, and it was not uncommon for them to walk up to her and ask for directions, especially when she was working. It was a big, bustling part of town, one that she enjoyed. 

This was where she worked.

Her brother told her of a cafe hiring, but what she didn’t intend was for it to be a maid cafe. Dammit, Mr. Sakura, why couldn’t you hire instead?

At first, she wasn’t sure if she was going to get the job. [Name] was polite towards the head of the place when she was getting interviewed, and a bit excited. Once it was over, the chief went back over to his office to get some paperwork for her to fill out. He was gone for almost twenty minutes, and the young girl decided to take out the novel she has been reading. To her, it was normal, but she eventually noticed that some of the maids not on duty kept their eyes on her, occasionally whispering and gossiping amongst themselves. Some were smiling, while a few of them were trying to avoid their gaze, as if they knew she was watching. The chief brought the paperwork out, and once she filled it all out over several minutes, she had secured herself a job. 

What she wasn’t aware of was the fact that, due to her simply pulling out a book, that her entire working persona would be around the idea of her being a cute little bookworm. “You’ll be the timid, bookworm maid.” Her manager told her, a smile across her face. Ah, so it was probably the maids that were watching her that gave her that idea. 

She served under her maid name, Sana, known for her overly big and round glasses, and always carrying around books. The most stereotypical idea of a bookworm. 

Boy was it stupid.

But it paid pretty well.

Once she arrived, she eventually went in the back and changed into her costume. 

One of the fellow maids, known as Clara, has become well acquainted with her over the time she had spent there. Clara was standing outside of the changing room when she got out, a look of excitement written all over her face. [Name] reached up to her face, adjusting her oversized glasses, sending a confused look over at her, Clara was.. Well she was always pretty happy about her job. She was never this excited though. “What’s up?”

“Oh my god, Sana! There has been a rumor going around that we are going to be getting a hugeeeee star here tonight!” 

“Uhhm okay?” [Name] said, pretty unenthusiastically. “People can dine wherever they want.”

Clara let out an audible gasp, quickly reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She tapped her finger on the screen for a few seconds before pulling up some sort of chat log. “One of the girls on morning shift texted me saying that we got a reservation tonight for Goro Akechi! You know? The Detective Prince!” She squealed. 

“Sweet.” [Name] responded, a small smile on her face. “It’s been awhile since I’ve talked him.”

“You’ve TALKED to him?”

“I mean.. Yeah. It’s been awhile, but he came in for coffee once on a cold day. I ended up giving him my scarf before he left since he looked like he was swallowed in a blizzard.” 

“You’re so lucky, Sana-san! I hope that I’ll be the lucky one who serves him tonight!” Clara put her hands on both of her cheeks as they started to heat up. “He’s so handsome and dreamy!”

“I-I suppose.” [Name] muttered, attempting to walk by the eccentric maid to start her sift.

“You suppose? You had coffee with him!!” Once again, Clara was all up in her face. 

“I-I mean I did but I wouldn’t call him dreamy.” [Name] stuttered out, talking a small step back from the girl.

“What!” The other maid gasped, louder than before. 

From down the hall, another voice echoed. “Get back to work two, the customers can hear you!” It was definitely the chief. Quickly, the young heroine readjusted herself before scooting down the hallway and going into the kitchen. Glancing at the schedule on the wall.. It seems like she was not on serving duty tonight. She was going to be out front drawing in customers. Oh boy, today was going to be a long day.

It’s been almost two hours into her shift, and there was still no sign of the detective. [Name] was hopeful she would get to see him again, and possibly get a chance to speak to him once more. The other maid out with her, known as Ella, was just as excited as Carla, if not more. Instead of drawing in patrons, she kept an eye out in the distance for the rumored guest, as opposed to [Name], who was actually doing her job.

“Welcome, Masters~ Please some in and take a break~” She cooed, waving towards a group of foreigners. They smiled back at her, glancing over towards the cafe before heading on in. Her smile faded instantly as they went inside, and she looked over her shoulder towards Ella, who had a hand on her head as if she was looking out in the distance.

“You’re still looking for him?” [Name] whispered, a sting of annoyance in her voice. 

“It’s almost seven! He might be here soon!” The other maid put her hand down, looking over at her co-worker. “I’m excited!”

[Name] let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could tell, don’t worry. Almost every other girl in the cafe was either too awestruck by their special guest to work, or they were her. Actually doing their damned job. It was fine at first, she could understand their excitement, she guesses, but now it’s absolutely ridiculous. Ella continued peering down the street towards Electric Town, while the newer girl scowled. While mopping to herself, she did not take notice of a customer heading towards her from the train station. 

“Hello there. You seem to be a bit down today.”

She hurried and bowed, an obviously fake smile splashing on her face. “S-Sorry about that Master! Please, come on in and have a meal with us today!” 

“Hmm.. Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer, [Name]-san.” 

She stood up, taking note of the boy in front of her. It was definitely the same one from that snowy day at Leblanc, same shaggy hair, save for the snowflakes. The chocolate eyes that first met her as he rushed into the building, and the same exact uniform and suitcase. It’s almost like nothing has changed.. Except.. 

“Akechi-san..” She stared up at home, surprised that he was wearing the red scarf. It was wrapped around his neck, the ends of it hanging down his back. Her eyes met his for a second as a small smile made its way to her face, until she forgot her script. “I mean, uh.. Welcome home, Master!” 

Akechi chuckled at her, causing her co-worker to take notice. Ella made her way over rather swiftly, repeating everything the other girl just did. It was obvious she was desperately trying for his attention, and [Name] thinks, he can tell. She thinks its an almost pained expression on his face as he sees the girl over-exercise her expressions. 

“Thank you, to the both of you.” He said, giving them a bow, before shifting eyes back to [Name]. “And what might they call you here, Miss?”

“I am Sana.” She felt a light pink dust creep up on her face as she said it, feeling his gaze on her. 

It was embarrassing. 

“Ah, what a lovely name.” He smiled. 

The detective continued on into the restaurant, leaving both her and Ella outside. She let out a deep breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Why was she suddenly so self conscious about her apparel? Maybe, she just never expected anyone she knew to actually be interested in this place. Ella on the other hand, was staring at her, as if she was an exquisite piece of art, eyes widened. [Name] looked up at her, nervously crossing her arms over her chest. “What is it?”

“He asked for your name! I’m not gonna lie, Sana.. I’m quite jealous.” Ella commented. 

“I mean.. It’s not my real name.” She replied, hoping she didn’t hear him call her by her actual name earlier.

Figuring Ella would be mad at her, she was surprised when she smiled from ear to ear. “Maybe, maybe, he thought you were cute.” 

“Ella-san, I don’t think..”

Two more men soon approached, causing their conversation to drop instantly. Once Akechi was inside, Ella went back to actually doing her job. She greeted the two, while [Name] gave them a small bow as they went inside. Her co-worker didn’t want to drop the conversation just yet, as she was about to start talking again, a train stopped at the station, completely filled with people getting off of it. [Name] used this opportunity to shift her stance, and start greeting the mass of people.

Maybe, Ella will just forget about this.

“Masters~” She waved, only to be tapped on the shoulder.

[Name] turned around, only to be face to face with Carla once again. She had a strange look on her face, both of excitement and curiosity. She held a menu in her hands, soon shoving it into [Name]’s. 

“Looks like Akechi has personally requested you to be his maid tonight, Sana-san. Here, I thought it would be me.” Carla frowned a bit, before turning heel and climbing up the stairs.

[Name] made her way back in, slowly opening the set of double pink doors into the cafe. It was so.. Pink. The walls were pink, the floor was pink.. Everything was pink. Why would someone book a reservation to eat here? Oh wait! Daydreaming again! She looked around, recalling her script once more as she found the seat the lone detective sat at. With the menu in hand, she stopped at his table.

“Welcome home, Master!” [Name] smiled, bringing him the menu. “My name is Sana. I am a timid, bookworm maid.. uh..” 

Shit, she forgot her book in the changing room.

“S-Seems like I forgot my books today! I apologise, Master. Please go gentle on your punishment.” She bowed in apology, suddenly absolutely hating her life as she recalls her lines to someone she actually knows.

Akechi gave a small laugh, simply glancing at the menu, not even picking it up. “Please, Sana, It’s okay.”

She stood, giving a small curtsy. “What would you like to order today, Akechi-san?” 

“Give me an order of the Love Pancakes.” He picked up the menu, and handed it to her. She took it from him, and was about to walk away whenever he called for her again. “[Name]-san, I didn’t know you worked here.” 

Looking down in defeat, she responded. “Yeah.. I started working here a little after we last met. It's.. not that bad.” 

He looked quite surprised when she said that, quizzically staring at her with a hand under his chin. “You seemed quite upset out there.”

“Well, uh, I mean.” She glanced around, wondering if any other patrons were staring at them. Probably, as it was their star patron of the night. There were probably maids hiding behind corners just watching her. [Name] lowered her voice a bit. “They’re.. absolutely excited you’re here, Akechi-san. Ella-san’s job was to basically just look for you, I swear. “

“How.. interesting.” He sheepishly grinned.

“Anyway, one order of Love Pancakes! Made with love, just for you~” She smiled, heading off towards the kitchen. 

The kitchen was a mess. 

All these girls flocked to her, pelting her with question after question about him, while she just stood there hopelessly waiting for one of them to complete his order. Why did he have to request her of all of the maids here? Carla would have been more than happy to take care of him for the rest of the night. 

“Is he as handsome in real life like he is on TV?”

“Did you get a picture of him?”

“What’s his favorite food? I’ll get it next time!”

“Please move!” She hissed, pushing her way through all of the girls, making her way to the tray with her order in it. Carefully lifting the tray, she turned around, once again fighting through the girls in order to get through the kitchen. 

“Tell Akechi-san I said hi!”

“Ask him for an autograph! I’ll make Chief hang it u-” The door to the kitchen slammed shut behind her. 

She needed a raise after tonight. 

Making her way back to his table, she sat down his plate of pancakes. It took her a few moments to regain her composure and she adjusted her glasses on cue. “Here they are! Your pancakes made with love! Please, let me show you how much I love you, by using the love insertion.” She’ll hate that line for as long as she is alive, she thinks.

“[Name]-san.” He said.

She tried.

She honestly tried. 

Why wasn’t the whipped cream working?!

“One second.” She grinned, looking towards him, viciously shaking the can.

“[Name]-san.” He repeated. 

“I got this, I promise.” The maid shook it a little more, before trying once again to get it to come out. She's not sure what happened. Maybe she shook the can too hard, or.. Something?

All of the whipped cream topping exploded from the can, creating a tower of it on top of his meal. 

It was.. Quite a sight.

Akechi starred, rather shocked. The patrons seated around him were sending strange looks in her direction, and a few of the other maids popping their head around the corner. The tower of whipped topping stood higher than the pancakes itself. [Name] was not too sure what to do, but slowly set the can down, put her hands on her knees and bow. 

“I apologize! I’m sorry I didn't mean to do this!” Her face erupted into a lovely shade of pink, he noted.

“[Name]-san, are you okay?” Akechi shifted in his seat to face her, notioning for her to get up. 

“I’m doing fine, Akechi. Today has just been quite a stressful day at work.” She sighed, straightening herself up again. Once again, she looked over to his meal, and shook her head. “Would you want me to fix that?”

“No, it’s alright. I guess this just means you love me a lot , then?” He joked, picking up his fork and eating a spoonful of the cream. 

“I-I uh.. Yes, Master!” [Name] could feel her cheeks heating up again. This was horrible! Akechi put his utensil back down, once again shifting his attention over to her. 

“What time is your shift over tonight? It has been quite awhile since we’ve last seen each other. I was wondering if you would want to meet up again sometime.” 

“You’re asking me?” She stood there dumbfounded for a moment. 

Akechi nodded his head. “Who else would I be asking?” 

Why were her glasses starting to fog up? Maybe it was getting hot in here. “It’s not over until 11. Would you be interested in meeting up at Leblanc some time again?” 

“Here, [Name]-san, let's change contact information. Unless you are more comfortable with me coming here more often.” Every word that came from him was so charming, she thought. Either if it was a joke, a compliment, there was just some sort of charm that drew her to him. Maybe, this was what all those others were talking about. She hastily pulled out her cell and entered his info into the IM system, before looking over her shoulder towards the kitchen. 

She could see two headbands poking from behind the wall, as two of her co-workers badly hid themselves from her sight. 

“I’d prefer if you messaged me, Akechi-san.” She whispered. “I have to go, I think they need me in the kitchen.” 

[Name] made her way back into the kitchen area, once again the chefs and fellow waitresses all bombarding her with questions. Some wanted his number from her, some asked her what took her so long, why he wanted her specifically.. She didn’t know! A small part of her hoped that he would come back again, but an even larger part didn’t want her to be working that night. 

Goro Akechi would never, ever in his life believe that we would spend a week tracking down some woman. A girl that he has only spoken to once. But, she was also someone who spoke to him as a true human, treating him to a nice hot meal, without even knowing who he was. Maybe, she didn’t have a television, he assumed, or read those over priced magazines. He’s never experienced such a pure, unfiltered and almost disgusting act of kindness from someone who didn’t want something back, or do it because of his name. He still remembers her leaving that coffeehouse on that snowy day in January, as her eyes wandered over him, thinking about his warmth over hers. It was absolutely idiotic how she even considered it in the first place, but even more idiotic for him to keep the piece of fabric. Why did he keep it, he keeps asking himself?

‘That idiotic girl, ignore her.’ Loki would whisper to him. 

‘She’s unexpected. I wonder if there is even more mystery to her.’ His other persona, Robin Hood, would try and convince him.

Akechi didn’t know either what he wanted to do either, and that's what bothered him. He was a genius, why is something this simplistic and stupid keeping him so entranced?

Why would she show him kindness? She had no reason to. He couldn’t understand it, and that's why she was so interesting. He just couldn’t wrap his head around her. Maybe, they can go out once again, and he’ll learn more, more about her, and then his sense of curiosity will stop calling out.

So, after searching and searching, he finally found something on her. 

A record of a deceased man, name unimportant, who was charged for manslaughter, and drunken driving. The said man was charged for the death of both a middle aged woman and man, last names both [Last Name]. After what she said at the cafe, it was a likely chance these were her parents. He dug a bit deeper, finding out about her academic records at Shujin, the former apartments that her and her brother would end up going to. He could read about all the horrible things that happened to her, and still not understand her. 

After another grueling day of working with Sae, he needed to rest again. 

He was close to Akihabara, so he can get some of those stupidly overpriced excuses of pancakes those maids serve. Whatever, it was something, and it was better than Sae.

Akechi was not sure if that was actually her standing outside of it though. He could faintly remember her mentioning applying for a job in this district, but he was still unsure. Walking closer, he could see the sour look she wore as her partner was doing absolutely nothing useful.

Wow, ironic, he thinks.

He greeted her, a well-mannered smile on his face as per usual for the rest of the time he spent there. Casually, he managed to trade ID’s with her. Loki continued to scold him telling him he was becoming nothing more than a typical skirt chaser, while Robin criticized Loki, telling him that it was okay for Akechi to try and understand her. 

He still had that stupid scarf on, the one that caused this all in the first place.

That stupid, fucking scarf. 

He didn’t know why he wore it. 

Gods, he hated this girl, everything about her. 

He finished the cakes relatively quickly, and ended up leaving before he could see her again. Akechi was not sure how much longer he could sit there before he was about to snap. Between Sae, and that infuriating woman, he didn’t ever get a break.

They had made plans to meet up at Leblanc about a week and a half later. Apparently, the detective was out for that week investigating another one of the mental shutdown cases, so he could not make it any earlier. [Name] understood that he was a very busy man, and was grateful to be able to spend whatever time she could with him. She was currently running late though, and was afraid that he might already have assumed that she ditched him by the time she got there. Of course, there was a delay at the train station today, and that meant everyone was running almost a half an hour behind schedule. When she got off of the station and began to wander the neighborhood of Yongen-Jaya, she felt a little drip of water on her nose. Looking up, the clouds began to darken slightly as more rain began to fall down on her. She drew her blazer closer to herself to try and avoid becoming wet, and began a small jog to her destination.

Once under the awning of Leblanc, she shivered a bit. By the time she got off the train, to the two minute jog here, it was now a torrential downpour. The girl was soaked.. She hoped Sojiro wouldn’t mind. 

[Name] stepped into the java shop, turning around to shut the door behind her. Unlike last time, it was almost entirely empty, save for an old couple currently sitting in one of the booths. Akechi sat up at the counter, two steaming hot cups of joe in front of him. Once he noticed who came in the door, he gave her a smile, and gestured her over. She came over, setting her bag down on the counter and taking a seat to his right. 

Sojiro was leaning back against the coffee machine, pencil and crossword puzzle book in hand. The older man shifted his gaze from the book, towards her, greeting her. “How are you doing today, Miss [Name]?” 

“A little wet.. But asides from that, okay I guess.” [Name] chuckled. 

Akechi slid one of the saucers towards her, the cup of coffee landing right in front of her. “This is payment for the curry. I hope you like it.” 

Sojiro eyed the detective intently, then looked back towards the girl. 

“Making friends with the detective?” He asked, though it sounded like there was an edge to the question. 

“More so acquaintances.” She replied, slowly wrapping her hands around the cup, before taking a sip. Once the brown liquid met her lips, she let out a small gasp. “Hot hot hot hot hot.” Before setting it back down swiftly. 

Akechi chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. “I should have warned you, he just poured it.”

She tilted her head towards him, letting out a small giggle. 

Sojiro watched them for a few more seconds, soon going back to working on his puzzle. The two shared a small conversation over the course of several minutes, discussing various topics. At one point, the news was turned onto the TV, and the voice of the announcer boomed through the room. 

“We are coming in from Shibuya, where hours ago a public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still on it.” 

While Akechi still talked for a bit, [Name] peered over his shoulder to look towards the tv. It seems the elderly couple was just as curious, as both sets of their eyes were glued onto the screen as well. 

“The citizens can’t live in peace if this keeps up.” The announcer spoke once again, before the elderly gentleman spoke up.

“How frightening.” 

“What could be going on? Didn’t something similar happen just the other day?” His wife asked. 

Akechi noticed her sudden change of interest, turning around to see the television as well. She currently had her head towards the elderly couple, listening in on their conversation. “It’s pretty scary, isn’t it?” She asked, eyes staring right into his. “You never know if you’re safe to leave the house anymore.” 

“Even as one of the lead detectives on this case, it still astonishes me how we have never tracked the source of these incidents.” He looks down at his drink, before finishing the rest of it off. “I hope that one day, we come out with answers.” 

“I hope you do too, Akechi. Don’t get hurt out there, okay?” She gave him a toothy grin. “I was hoping we could share a drink or two again.” 

There she goes again, worrying about him. Why is she worried more about him, than the bunch of other people caught up in these cases. Of anything else she could have said, why was it that? Why does she care about seeing him again? It was just a stupid drink. 

“Akechi?” She noticed him staring into his empty cup.

“Oh, I apologize. I was just thinking about ordering another cup. Would you like one?” He changed the conversation. 

As she was about to open her mouth, the little chime of the bell caught their attention. A tall boy walked in, soaked much like she was when she first entered. He had deep, fluffy raven hair, and wore a Shujin outfit, much like her. Strange, she doesn’t really recall seeing him around much. Sojiro played with the pencil in his hand for a few seconds, scribbling down something on his puzzle before glancing up at the boy. It seems he realized who he was, because he stiffened up. 

“Oh, right. They did say that you’d be arriving today.”

The strange boy silently kept looking around, soon meeting eyes with [Name] for a brief second. “Is Sakura-san here?” 

“..Yeah, I’m Sojiro Sakura. You’ll be in my custody for the next year. I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you’re the one, huh?” He eyed the boy for a few seconds. “Have you been told, Akira? A customer of mine and your parents know each other. Well.. not that that matters.. Follow me.” He motioned for the boy to follow him, and began to head towards the back of the store. 

[Name] took a swig of her drink, taking most of it down. It was a nice, creamy dark roast, just the way she liked it. 

As Akechi watched the girl, he felt his phone go off in his pocket. Curiously, he removed it, a good idea of who it might be. He scanned through his messages briefly, before letting out a faint sigh.

Another one.

This time, it was supposed to be one of the subway drivers. 

He had to go.

“It seems like I’m being called to head over to investigate another case. It seems like we aren’t destined to spend much time together, is it?” Another gentlemanly smile.

[Name] let out another giggle, getting up from her set. She thanked him for his coffee, and reached to retrieve her bag. “I might stay a bit longer.. It’s pouring out there.” 

Akechi stood up himself, dusting off his pants before digging through his case to retrieve a black umbrella. Without thinking, he offered her a gloved hand, which she stared at confused. “Well, I can walk you home then, as payment for the scarf.” 

She seemed a bit nervous, tugging at the edges of her skirt a bit. “Would that be okay? I don’t want to, I don’t know, affect your public image.” 

He snickered. “It doesn’t matter.”

The girl did take his hand eventually, the pair soon stepping outside together. He opened the umbrella, and the two of them fit together under it. [Name] has never shared an umbrella before, let alone stand this close to someone before! This was so embarrassing. He held the base of the umbrella, while she slowly moved her hand to hold the neck of it. She looked up towards him. He was completely unphased what so ever. She was a blushing mess!

“Where to, my lady?” He smiled. 

“Just down the block, there are some apartments. It’s pretty dilapidated, not too hard to miss.” She whispered. 

The rain poured onto the umbrella harshly. It felt like an eternity before they made it back to her apartment. Her heartbeat was going off the charts, her breathing was picking up as her face was still flushed. She was such a loser, he was just trying to take her home! Maybe he won’t notice.

They stepped up the craggy old stairs to the upper floors, until she stopped in front of her doorway.

“Sorry for the trouble, Akechi-san, I owe you.” She bowed slightly, finding the key to her house in her bag. 

“Please, it’s no issue at all.” He motioned for her to get up. “You saved me from a chilly day, I’ll save you from a stormy one.” Akechi and [Name] exchanged their goodbyes, and he continued on his way. Before he got back to the staircase, she ran up to him once again, pulling on the back of his coat. 

“I mean it, Akechi-san. Please stay safe out there, I don’t want you to get hurt.” She looked up at him, eyes full of worry. 

He turned to face her once more, grabbing her hand again. 

It was warm, a gentle loving warmth. The warmth only another human being can give. 

“I’ll come back, I promise.” 

He was nothing short of being a prince.

Akechi decided he would walk her home this one time. 

He told her it was because of the scarf she gave him, and her face lit up. It was really to avoid completing Shido’s plans as much as possible. Five minutes with her, is five minutes less of him being used as some sort of puppet. He could keep pretending to play prince for a few more minutes, it's not like it hurt anyone besides himself in the end. 

‘You can’t start playing this game, Akechi.’ Loki would comment. ‘Avoiding it isn’t doing anything.’

‘Enjoy yourself while you can, Akechi.’ Robin Hood would counter. 

They walked together, and it didn’t bother him in the slightest. He noticed how she consciously kept her hand from ever coming to close to his on the parasol, and how her breath would hitch every time she took note of him. Her face was brighter than before, as well. She was nervous to be around him, who wouldn’t? 

He didn’t want to show it, but where she lived, was an absolute wreck. Paint was chipping off half of the building, it was obviously older than most of the other places in Yongen-Jaya, and the smell alone would have driven him off. It really was no surprise she spent most of her time at Leblanc. 

After dropping her off, the young maiden ended up stopping him just before he could leave. He felt her hand on his shoulder, gently tugging at him towards her. He beckoned, absorbing the look of worry on her face once more. He hated it. 

“I mean it, Akechi-san. Please stay safe out there, I don’t want you to get hurt.’

Bringing a gloved hand up, he took her smaller one into his, meeting her gaze. Something flared in her eyes, he thought, something he has not seen before.

Passion, maybe? Delight? He wasn’t too sure.

“I’ll come back, I promise.” He smiled at her.

Yes, he needs to come back to her. He needs to figure her out. 

It wasn’t long after he left her, his true colors began to seep out again. He stood in mementos, clad from head to to in his persona’s armor. A shadow sat in front of him, huddled on the ground and begging for its life. It doesn’t matter how much they beg, the ending is always the same. Akechi brought his gun up, resting it towards the head of the shadow. The shadow begged and begged, offering anything. Anymore, he doesn’t feel anything. His heart must be black. He once took joy in the murdering of these shadows, but anymore, it's a chore. 

Why does that girl want him to come back safe?

He was nothing more than a monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how to feel about this chapter.
> 
> I really want to get into the main scenario of P5R from this point. I'm going to try and take it slow, at first, and really make it a slow burn kinda story. Akechi might not be in every chapter from this point on, at least until we start getting though some more palaces and getting the Phantom Thieves together.


	4. Chapter 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine finds herself inside of a strange palace with a new face, and learns what a persona really is.

Chapter 3. 

It was a rainy Monday morning. 

This time, [Name] actually remembered to pack her parasol. 

She was currently getting off the train right outside her school, glancing around the mass of people for her friend. It was not too hard to find him, as his bright blond stood out amongst the usual dark haired crowd. He currently was chilling against the wall, one foot kicked up against the wall and his hands burrowed in his pockets. No matter what he was doing, he certainly was always trying to act like a bad boy, she thought. The girl made her way over to him, and he reacted by giving her a wide grin. 

“What’s up [Name]?” 

“Another boring morning.” She responded. 

Ryuji and his friend started to make their way from the station, the girl opening out her umbrella. He walked outside of the range of her cover, the light spray of water falling upon him. They walked in silence for most of the way, until the girl stopped in her tracks. In the distance, was one of her classmates, Ann Takamaki, standing besides a familiar looking boy. The raven haired boy was staring down at his phone, before shifting his gaze to Ann. 

[Name] reached out to Ryuji, tugging on his sleeve. “Look, it's Ann. Wanna see if she wants to walk with us?” 

He nodded, turning back towards the two.

During their short exchange, a light gray car pulled up beside the two other students, rolling it's windows down. They were pretty far from them, so they couldn’t really make out the exchange. [Name] was more focused on the boy, trying to recall where she saw him the other day. Oh, yeah! It must have been the one Sojiro was supposed to watch. Could he be the new transfer student? He doesn’t really look like a punk. Ryuji though was focused on the figure in the car, he couldn’t exactly make him out, but he had a gut feeling of who it was. 

He started to run down the sidewalk, leaving his friend in the dust. She shouted out in protest as he left her, soon following shortly behind him.

“Ryuji! Ryuji!” She kept calling for him.

Ann soon stepped into the car, soon giving a small wave towards the unknown boy. As quick as Ryuji was, he wasn’t fast enough to catch up with the car. By the time he got there, she was gone, leaving him facing the new student by himself. 

“Dammit! Screw that pervy teacher.” 

[Name] was a little behind, and by the time she caught up to him, he was pretty close into the new kid’s face. Ryuji straightened up a bit, staring him down. 

“What do you want? You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, albeit rather quietly. 

“Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida. He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is-- the king of the castle? Don’t you agree?”

“Ryuji!” [Name] interjected, putting herself between the two men. She bowed in apology to the stranger, grabbing a hold of Ryuji’s hand. “I’m sorry. He’s a bit brash sometimes.” 

“Who you callin brash?!” The blond let go of her hand, now facing her with a visage of anger. 

“You, blondie. Why did you just run off like that?” She seemed rather upset now. 

“That was Kamoshida’s car. That perv just dragged Ann away.” 

“Who’s Kamoshida?” The boy with glasses asked, interrupting the two. Both of them were now facing him, looks of surprise adorned. 

“...Wait. You don’t know who Kamoshida? Are you for real?” Ryuji asked, moving his eyes along his outfit. “You’re from Shujin though, right?”

“I think so..” He sheepishly moved his gaze towards the ground, staring at his feet.

“Wait..” [Name] spoke up again, taking a step closer to the student. She stood up on her toes, getting a better look at his face. “You were that boy at Leblanc. I didn’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

“Are you that transfer student?” Ryuji piped up. “And a second year at that, just like me.”

He nodded awkwardly placing his hands in his pockets.

“I’m [Name] [Last Name], and this Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“Akira Kurusu.” He responded, giving her a faint smile. 

Akira and Ryuji exchanged a few more words, while [Name] stood there watching the two. It wasn’t too often Ryuji was able to.. Talk to anyone like this. He might have been hostile before, but he seems to have calmed down. Maybe, he’ll be able to become friends with him, she thought. Everyone needs one. While she stared at them, she noticed the rain starting to pick up on her parasol. “We should hurry up.. The rain is starting to pick up. We better hurry or well be late.”

The boys gave her an affirmative nod. They started all walking together a few steps, until she felt the air around her shift. It was momentarily, but it felt like her throat was being constricted. Her head was starting a pound, and so she brought a hand up to her head, letting out a small cry of pain. It seems whatever happened to her, also hit Ryuji. 

“Uuugh, my head hurts” He complained. “Dammit, I wanna go home..”

The blonde got himself together again, before taking the lead, making a turn down the alley they usually take to get to Shujin. [Name] followed behind her best friend, while Akira followed behind her. She couldn’t explain it, but the air around them was almost constrictive. They kept walking, and at one point, she had to stop to see why Akira stopped following. He was turned around, staring down where they once came from. The girl called out to him, and he started coming back, a look of uncertainty on his face. Whatever she was feeling, no doubt he was experiencing it too. 

From around the corner, they heard Ryuji call for them. 

“Ryuuuuuuji, what is i-” [Name] turned the corner, playfully calling out her friends name until going utterly silent. The three of them stood in awe at the castle in front of them. 

Where their Academy once stood, was now some sort of grand palace. It reached up to the violet skies, and an eerie light shone down upon it. The castle itself was a golden color, with fancy architecture on both the castle itself and the surrounding wall. Few trees stood, their leaves faintly hanging over the walls, showing some form of life in this strange place.

Ryuji turned around, glancing down the alley once more. “We didn’t.. come the wrong way though.” Once again facing the castle, head read the plaque that stood outside it. It was definitely Shujin Academy. “Yeah.. this should be right.” 

“What’s going on here?” [Name] asked softly, clutching onto her parasol tighter than normally.

“I guess we’ll have to go in and ask.” Ryuji insisted, beginning his march towards the drawbridge that went into the castle. Both Akira and [Name] followed, though she tended to lag behind the two as they took charge. 

Once they entered, they were greeted with a grand hall. The floors were a black and white checkered pattern, with royal red carpets lining down them. Candelabras were lined against the wall, and a giant chandelier hung from the ceiling above them. This was definitely not Shujin. The two boys stopped in the middle of the room, both of them scanning the strange surroundings. 

“That’s weird. Where’s the school?” Ryuji asked, his voice echoing around the grand room.

“Did we make a wrong turn?” Akira asked, turning to face Ryuji. 

The delinquent rose a hand to the back of his head and sighed. “N-no! This has to be it.” He looked back around once more. “I mean, it.. Should be.” 

While the two were looking around, [Name] was on her phone, attempting to call.. Anyone. She brought her phone up to her ear, only for nothing to come through. No service. “Looks like there is no service here either, that’s strange.”

“Where the hell did we end up?” Ryuji interjected. “The sign out there was for the school right?”

“Yeah, it said Shujin..” Akira scratched his head. 

The three of them suddenly went silent as the sound of footsteps approached. They weren’t typical footsteps though, they were extremely heavy. [Name] folded up her umbrella, keeping it in her arms as the figure rounded the corner. The being was clad in heavy, medieval armor. This was certainly strange, was it real? 

“Geez, you freaked me out. Who’re you? Are you a student?” The blond asked the knight, taking a few steps towards him. Akira stood still, keeping his gray eyes locked on the knight. 

“Man, your costume is impressive. Is that armor real?” He knocked on the guy's shield, then stood with his arms crossed. “C’mon dude. Don’t just stand there. Say somethin’.”

Another armored figure caught up to the one staring down Ryuji, staring down the three students. 

“W-What’s going on?” The girl asked, bringing her umbrella to her side, like some makeshift weapon. 

“Is he school staff?” Akira asked.

“I-I don’t know!” She squeaked. 

The two armored figures took two steps forward, closing in on them. Ryuji stood protectively in front of [Name], throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Shits about to get real.”

One of the knights removed the greatsword on his back, causing his eyes to widen.”We gotta run.” 

“Got it.” Akira nodded, before grabbing the girls open hand and turning around. They only made it a few steps until two more knights caged them in. The students were now completely surrounded, the four knights aiming their weapons at them. 

“Ugh, what's with these guys!?” Ryuji hissed, resulting in one of the guards bashing their shield against his frame. He fell onto his knees, staring up at the one who knocked him down. “O-Oww.. Y-You’re gonna break my bones, dammit.” Clenching his hip, he tried to stand up again, until the hilt of a sword was slammed into his head. 

[Name] let out a shriek as her friend was now lying unconscious on the floor. She grabbed the back of Akira’s jacket, hanging onto it for dear life. 

“Take them away.” Another knight stepped forward, but unlike the others, he was clad in an ornate golden set. 

Akira was bashed with a shield, and the same thing happened to him. He was knocked to the ground, the wind escaping him. “Akira!” She yelled. He was about to sit up, until one of the knights was about to knock him unconscious. Quickly acting, the woman tried to use her umbrella as a makeshift weapon, sloppily hitting the armored knight. It took a step back, out of surprise more so than actual damage. 

Before she could quickly retaliate, she was subdued by the knight in gold. Her body fell limply away from Ryuji’s, and the last thing Akira saw before he met blackness was a strange crowned figure advancing towards them.

“Hey, wake up.”

Akira could feel something warm press against his forehead, the sense of life coming back to him. It was hazy, but soon enough the faint torchlights of the palace filled his gaze. The small figure of [Name] hovered above him, with her hand resting on his head. She seemed concerned, but soon noticing his eyes flutter open, she smiled. 

He started to sit up, looking around the dank room all three of them sat in. It was brick, with various chains hanging down from the ceiling, and barrels in all corners of the room. Ryuji sat at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He stood up as soon as he noticed Akira was awake. 

“Hey, you all right?” 

“Yep. How are you guys?” Akira looked at them both. [Name] frowned slightly, sitting cross legged on the floor. 

“Could be better. I don’t know how I'm going to start explaining the bruising.”

“Man, this really isn’t a dream..” Ryuji sighed. He then balled his hands up into fists and made his way over to the jail cell door, violently slamming them against it. “Hey! Let us outta here! I know someone’s out there!”

“Where are we?” [Name] muttered.

Suddenly, a loud scream erupted from somewhere else in the castle. 

“The hell was that just now?” All three of them got up and went over to the bars, peering out into the hallway.

More screams.

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah woah. You’re shittin’ me right?” Ryuji said, flabbergasted. 

“Do you think they’ll do that to us?” [Name] asked timidly. 

“Who knows.” Akira said. 

“We’ve GOT to get out of here.” Ryuji turned towards Akira. “This is real bad. Isn’t there some way outta here. C’mon man, we gotta do something about this.” 

The three of them disbanded once more, investigating various parts of the room. Ryuji was investigating the many sizes of chains and shackles, while Akira was looking under the beds. [Name] kept her gaze down the hallway, scanning for anyone who might be coming for them. 

“Find anything?” She asked. Both boys shook their heads, nothing. 

The faint echoing of clanking footsteps caught her attention. “Someone’s coming.” 

A knight in dark armor soon approached their cell, glaring down at the three, sword in hand. “Be glad that your punishment was decided upon. Your charge is ‘unlawful entry.’ Thus, you’ll be sentenced to death.“

“Say what?!” Ryuji growled. 

“No one is allowed to do as they please in my castle.” A voice from the dark corridor spoke. Ryuji and [Name] both raised their heads, the familiar voice drawing their attention. There was a deep undertone to it though, making it sound somewhat more distorted than she remembers. The black knight stepped to the side, revealing a man in nothing more than some pink bathrobe adorned with hearts and sparkles. His hair was insanely frizzled and curley, and Akira recognized him as the crowned figure he saw before.  
“Is that you Kamoshida?” Ryuji leaned forward into the bars, eyes widened in surprise. [Name] stared in confusion, recognizing the PE teacher. 

“He’s Kamoshida..” Akira mumbled to himself. 

“I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it was just you, Sakamoto.” A large, cocky smile formed on Kamoshida’s face. “Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?”

[Name] noticed as Ryuji’s fists began to go white as he clenched onto the bars of the cell. His face was morphed with anger, and he looked like he was about to snap at any second. 

“And look at that, you brought some friends this time… because you can’t do anything for yourself.” He continued, looking at both Akira and the girl. “Hmm.. I don't recognize you, black haired boy, but I would always know little miss [Last Name] when I see her, always hanging out in the library reading her stupid books.” 

[Name] scooted behind Ryuji as he talked to her. 

“Shut it you asshole! This isn’t funny!” The blond student spewed his venom.

“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me.. The king. The punishment for that is death.” Kamoshida swiped a hand towards one of the knights, turning his head back to the three. “It’s time for an execution. Take him out.” 

“S-Stop it.” Ryuji growled once more, taking a step back as one of the multiple guards opened the door. Gods, there were so many of them. They couldn’t escape. They made their way in, pinning Ryuji to the right wall, and Akira with [Name] by the shackles. 

“Goddammit!” Ryuji threw himself forward towards one of the knights, and using all of his strength, was able to knock him over. “I ain’t down for this shit. C’mon, we’re outta here.!” He turned towards his friends, waving a hand back towards them. 

The knight separating them stood up, thrusting the hilt of his sword in his side, knocking him on to one knee. Ryuji let out a painful groan as he held his side, looking up towards the knight. Immediately, Akira rushed towards the same knight, and wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to prevent him from advancing, causing him to drop his sword. [Name], unsure of what to do, looked towards the door, noticing Kamoshida watching her. He stepped into the entrance of the jail cell. 

“Oh, planning on running away, are we? What a heartless girl you are.” 

“Shut up!’ [Name] growled, trying not to show the fear she felt. 

“C’mon! Hurry up and go!” Ryuji groaned in pain once more.

Kamoshida took another step forward into the room, sending chills down her spine. “What’s the matter? Too scared to run away?”

Akira turned to face her, letting his guard down momentarily. One of the free guards took this opportunity to quickly force him into the corner, sword drawn and aimed towards his throat. The knight once in his grasp turned around, staring at him through a voidless helm. 

[Name] used the moment to deal with the knight towards Akira. She turned towards the knight once held my Akira, and while he was not focused on her, attempted one of the stupidest things she has probably ever done, and will do. She hastily tried to get the sword he dropped just a few feet away from her, instantly seeking the attention of every guard in the room once she felt her hand wrap around the handle. The girl held it up with both of her hands, and it was nearly too heavy for her to handle. She had a hard time lifting it, and she doubted she would even be able to swing it around. It was in her hand for only seconds until Kamoshida ordered for one of the bigger men to grab a hold of her. She brought the sword up in an attempt to do anything, but the knight swung it out of her grasp easily. The armored shadow now held her against the wall, a plated hand holding her by her throat. She let out a gasp as soon as she met contact.

“Hmph, that almost got interesting. It gets fun when they start to fight back.” Kamoshida took a few more steps forward, picking up the sword. He held the blade under her chin, drawing it up to force her gaze to meet his. “We’ll save her for last. I want to hear her screams and pleas a bit later, but just for me.” 

Her eyes widened in fear as she tried to move around, the knight pressing harder onto her throat. She let out a meek cry.

Kamoshida drew the sword back, moving back towards Ryuji. “I’ll focus on this one's execution.”

Two guards grabbed a hold of Ryuji, leaving him standing there helpless as the deranged king began to beat the hell out of him. At first, it was a test punch, but then he started knocking him around. 

“Useless pest!” He hissed, spitting down on him. 

“Aww, where did your energy from earlier go? A peasant like you isn’t worth beating.” He kicked Ryuji over, so he was now laying on his back, staring up at him. “I’ll have you killed right now.” Slowly, he began to draw the sword up, until a voice stopped him.

“Stop it!” 

He lowered the blade, turning to face the brave little bastard who spoke against him. Akira was staring directly at him, face unemotional. 

“What? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am?”

Kamoshida lowered himself to get a better look at his face.

“That smug little look in your eyes irritates me.” He then threw a kick into the boys stomach, knocking him out of the guards grasp and onto the wall. ”Hold him there, after the peasant, it's his turn to die.” 

“A-Akira!” The girl choked out, trying her best to struggle against the man holding her down. She tried prying his iron grasp off of her, but to no avail, he wouldn’t budge. 

Akira then leapt forward, charging through two knights, until getting knocked back against the wall by their blades. Kamoshida took three slow footsteps toward a terrified Ryuji, who looked up in utter fear. It was the first time [Name] has ever seen him like this before, and when she saw it, she knew it was over. They were going to die. 

“I-I don’t want to die.” Ryuji whispered, as Kamoshida began to laugh like a madman. 

She was not too sure what happened next. Maybe, she was blacking out as she saw nothing but death. Maybe, she was so scared she started seeing things. 

Ryuji was forced up onto the brick wall, a sword about to be thrusted into his chest. Akira was violently screaming, and skating as the guards held him down. They tried their best to hold him down, but it seems like this supernatural strength was what they needed to delay Ryuji’s death.

“Execute him!” Kamoshida commanded.

“That's enough.” Akira said. 

Kamoshida turned to face him, Ryuji falling to the ground with a few tears rolling down his face. “What was that? You desire to be killed that much? Fine!” The knight to Akira’s left then picked up his shield and violently smashed it against his face.

He lay on the wall, head down as a knight began to raise his sword. He brought his charcoal gaze up, eyes widening. Suddenly, there was a huge gust of powerful wind, centered on Akira. All of the knights, including Kamoshida, ended up taking a step back. [Name] fell from the grasp of the night, landing on her hands and knees. She looked in amazement towards Akira as he suddenly stood, a strange mask adorned on his face.

The boy reached for it, grasping at it, trying to rip it off of his face. His cries, the bloodied howl he made as he pulled it from his face was horrifying. Blood was pouring down his face as he gazed around the room, eyes yellow and glowing with some sort of hunger. A blue flame quickly enveloped him, as ethereal chains began to swarm around him. Behind him, a figure began to form, some sort of demon, she thought. It was large, double the size of any man, with jet black wings, long skinny red legs and arms, and a devilish smile. He gave a crooked grin at the man in front of him, one she has not seen him during the time she met him. It terrified her slightly. 

“I am the pillager of twilight-- ‘Arsene’” The strange voice boomed around the small room.

“Who the hell are you?!” Kamoshida cried out, stepping back towards the cell entrance. “Start by killing that one instead.” He pointed towards Akira.

The guards erupted into a pile of black and red ooze, taking on the forms of Jack-O-lanterns. 

Using the strange being, he was able to use sort of magic to kill the monsters. Both of them let out a shrill cry of pain, before fading away into nothingness.

Ryuji eventually looked up towards Akira. “W-What was that just now?”

“Akira! Are you okay?” [Name] began to run over to his side. Kamoshida once again took a few steps closer to the mask wearing boy, until Ryuji jumped up and ran into him, knocking him over.

“You like that you son of a bitch?!” He chuckled. Akira turned towards the girl, grabbing a hold of her hand before dashing towards the door and turning to Ryuji. “Hurry and lock the door.” Akira said.

“Oh, you mean with this?” On the floor, lay a keychain with various heart shaped keys. He picked it up, all three of them leaving the room while Ryuji locked the door. Kamoshida stood up, and rammed into the jail cell, causing them to shake violently. 

“Damn you!”

“Hey, what was that just now?””What was that Akira?” Both [Name] and Ryuji spit their questions out at the same time. Before Akira could respond, the blue flame enveloped him once again, and he was no longer wearing his fancy clothes or mask. 

Kamoshida banged against the door, startling them. “You bastards!”

“God, this is fucking nuts.” Ryuji let out a frantic cry. “Anyways, let's scram. You lead the way, Akira.” 

The athlete threw the keys, before the three of them took off. Behind them, they heard Kamoshida yelling for the guards to capture them, and the faint marching of boots in the distance. 

They weren’t too sure where they were going.

A flowing river ran through the prison, and the walkways were nothing more than dirt and cobblestone paths. Hanging from the ceiling, were cages, hardly big enough to hold even one person. Were people kept in these? While running ahead, they came across two broken cages in the water. Akira leapt up onto the cage signalling for the other two to follow him.

“Are you serious? Can we really get across this?” Ryuji hissed. “On the other hand, there’s nowhere else we can try.. Alright, let’s get hoppin’.” 

The three made their way across, some having more trouble than others. [Name] was obviously not ready to do this, and almost toppled over into the rapids below her on the final jump, only for Akira having to rush forward and pull her forward. They continued forward, crawling through small openings in the wall, and hiding inside crates to avoid being chased by the guards. Her heart was racing, she was not made for this. Eventually, they came to a set of stone stairs, and they finally found a door. 

“We’ve got to get out of here.” The delinquent shouted, pushing the set of heavy doors open. 

They came through, only to be met with another hallway of cells, and a waterfall going down another end of the hallway.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” [Name] sighed. “What is wrong with this place?” 

Ryuji started to cuss, kicking loose stones into the water below. After taking a few more steps forward, Akira held a hand out to stop the other two in their tracks. “Look.” He gestured up to one of the cages hanging from the ceiling, but unlike the others, this one actually had a person in it. 

“So the screams we’ve been hearing.. They’re real?” [Name]’s eyes widened in panic. 

“Damn. Is he, uh, okay?” Ryuji tried to get a better look.

“We have to keep going.” Akira said, having the two continue following him. Up ahead was some sort of strange drawbridge. It was currently up, but besides it, was a strange statue that resembled a bust of this version of Kamoshida. It was revolting. 

“Shit, the bridge’s raised up! Ain’t there some way to lower it?!” Ryuji gave a kick to the statue, only to quickly retract his foot. “Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

“Idiot.” [Name] sighed in defeat.

“Hey, you there!” A strange, new voice yelled! 

There was a faint banging. 

“Over here! In the cell to the left!” 

Making their way to the dead end, the three students.. Gazed upon this strange creature. The cat creature was pulling on the bars, big blue eyes meeting Akira’s. “You’re not soldiers of this castle, right? Get me out of here? Look, the keys right there!” 

“We’re trying to get out of here. I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!” Ryuji countered, attempting to intimidate the cat.

“But.. he’s locked up too.” [Name] said, turning for Akira to ask what he thinks. He looked back at her, and shrugged, until shifting his eyes back at the cat. 

“At least one of you is smart! I’m locked up, so how can I be your enemy!? Help me out!” 

Akira, not saying anything during this whole exchange, finally breaks his silence. “..Are you a cat?”

“I am NOT a cat!” The obviously catlike creature responded, raising his voice. “Say that again and I’ll make you regret it!” 

From down the hall they came from, the heavy bootsteps became louder. The group peered back down the faintly lit hallway, until Ryuji pulled out his phone once more, attempting to find any sort of cellular service. “They’re catchin’ up already, and there is still no service. Ain’t there any way to contact someone outside!?” He turned his brown orbs back to the cat. “How do we get out of here?” 

“Hey, you guys.” The cat cooed. “You wanna know where the exit is? Let me out and I’ll take you there. I mean, you don’t want to get caught and executed, right?” 

“You better not be lying.” Akira said, before grabbing the set of keys from off the wall, until Ryuji set a hand on his shoulder. 

“Dude, this thing sounds like it's all talk.”

“If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!” The kitty hissed, shaking at the bars again. 

“Come on, Akira, let him out.” The female spoke up. Ryuji let out a frustrated sigh, accusing the beast of lying. They bickered back and forth, until Akira stepped between them and let him out of the cell. Once he was out, he took a deep breath of air.

“Now hurry and show us where the exit is, you stupid cat!” 

“I am NOT a cat! I am Morgana.” 

“Shuddup, you want to be chained up and looked up again?” 

“Ryuji, stop being rude.” The girl reached up and pinched his ear, causing the boy to let out a shrill cry. 

“O-Ouch! Hey!” He brought a hand up and rubbed at it, Akira having to come over and push the two to prod them forward.

Morgana quietly walked up ahead, ducking down behind a tower of crates. “Follow me and keep quiet!”

After trying to get the bridge down, nothing happened. Morgana stepped up, and pulled the mouth of the Kamoshida statue down, causing the bridge to slam down, a large boom echoing throughout the prison. The cat gestured them forward, and they began to hurry. The heavy doors they entered through were slammed open, and a swarm of guards stepped in to pursue them. They crossed the bridge, only for even more enemies to surround them again. Ryuji almost ran straight into one of them, falling down only to narrowly avoid being sliced by a giant greatsword. The cat leapt off of his head, standing in front of him, while Akira stood at his back. [Name] rushed to Ryuji’s side, attempting to shield him from any one else that tried to approach. 

“Come! Zorro!” Morgana shouted.

The same thing happened to Morgana, that did to Akira. A large blue figure erupted from him, and blue flares swarmed up around him. 

“You got one too…’ She muttered, looking up in amazement.

“Hmmph, time to shut them up.” 

The battle itself was over pretty quickly. Unlike Akira, Morgana’s persona specialized in wind. He used garu, taking out one of the enemies, while Akira elegantly dashed around the enemies, taking them out with a dagger. It was like watching some sort of movie, he moved like he was experienced1

“You’re Persona is pretty powerful.” The cat looked up towards Akira, praising him. Ryuji and [Name] both walked over to their side, [Name] asking what exactly a persona is.

“You saw how frizzy hair ripped off his mask when he summoned it? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing th-” Suddenly, once again, Akira was no longer with his mask, or strange new getup. Morgana was cut off as the blue flames lit up around them. 

“Woah, you’re back to normal.” [Name] reached a hand out towards him, unconsciously trying to reach out and touch him.

“Looks like you don’t have full control of your power yet. The transformation shouldn’t normally dissolve like that. After all-” 

“Rrgh. That’s enough! This crap doesn’t make any sense.” Ryuji let out a sigh.

“Can’t you just sit there and listen for once, Blondie!?” Morgana leapt up, staring at Ryuji. 

“It’s not Blondie, you stupid cat. It’s Ryuji..” 

The two of them began to argue again. Akira looked over towards the girl waving a hand at her to come with him. As both of them began going down the new hallway, the other two dropped their fighting, and hurried to catch up. 

“You don’t even know where to go!” She heard Morgana cry behind them.

They ascended a set of dark brick stairs, now moving on from the more dirty area, to a tighter secured prison. At the top of the set of stairs was a jail cell, but this time, there was someone else inside of it. They all stopped, examining the student dressed in a red gym uniform. 

“I feel like-- like i know what these guys are wearing!” Ryuji stopped, frantically trying to think.

“Isn’t that the volleyball uniform?” [Name] asked, staring at her friend. His eyes widened when she said that.

“I- I don’t know I’m too flustered! I can’t remember anything right now.”

Morgana turned around, his eyes narrowed at the two. “C’mon you two! Let’s go.” 

“Hold on, Morgana. There's someone here!” [Name] ducked down, looking into the cage towards the boy laying on his stomach. 

“Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now? We have to get out of here?” 

[Name] likes to think she is normally a calm, well mannered person most of the time. It’s not too often that she will outright lash out at someone, but when she felt the anger boiling up inside her, she knew that exterior was about to be broken. 

“I do have time to worry about other people. I’m not heartless enough to leave anyone else suffering in this place. We could have walked past you, couldn’t we? If we left you here to die, like you want to do these people, what makes us any different than the killers that roam these hallways?!” She stood up, glaring down towards Morgana. He seemed surprised at her outburst, only to let out a small response. “But they’re--”

“There!” A voice erupted from across the bridge in front of them. 

It began to lower, and a singular knight marched towards them. 

“You should have listened to me!” Morgana sounded more upset than angry, his ears sinking down. 

“We’ll fight them.” The black haired boy said, nudging Morgana.

After the battle, Ryuji pulled on the cell bars. “She’s right, we can’t just leave these guys here.” 

“You really don’t get it, do you? Hrgh, there’s no time to explain.” He turned around, taking a few steps forward on the bridge. “Look, I’m going. If you don’t want to follow, be my guest.” He suddenly took off, bolting ahead. 

“Dammit, I’m coming.” Ryuji then started sprinting after him.

Akira looked back at [Name], who looked into the cage upset. She turned towards him.

“Do you think we should leave all these people behind too?”

“I’m pretty sure he has a good reason for saying that.” He said, offering her a hand. She was unsure about his words, but took it anyway, running towards the two in silence. 

They soon found another set of wooden doors, which lead to the grand hall that they came in once before. It was empty this time, and they ran their way across it, leading into another hall just slightly away. There were two grand doors on either side of them, leading to who knows where. When they stopped, [Name] put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. “F-Finally..” She wheezed.

Ryuji ran forward, and grabbed a handle on the right door, only for it to not open. He grunted in response. “It’s not openin’!”

“Over here!” Morgana seemed to have calmed down, as he had a relieved smile on his face. He opened the left door, everyone else following in behind him. It was a mostly open room, with three bookshelves lined against the wall, seemingly like some sort of storage. They looked around, but it seems there wasn’t any way for them to escape.  
“Where are we supposed to get out from here? There aren’t even any windows!” Of course, Ryuji was back at the cat’s throat. 

“Ugh, amateur. This is the most basic of basics.” 

“It’s obviously a vent, Ryuji. That’s howl all the cool spies do it in the movies.” [Name] chuckled sarcastically, waving her fingers around. 

“Thats uh, that’s actually correct.” Morgana deadpanned. He pointed to a ventilation shaft that was above one of the shelves. “It actually leads outside.” 

“We just gotta get that metallic mesh off, right?” Ryuji asked, stretching his legs out. “And a one, and a-” He ran towards the bookshelf, before leaping up and reaching for the top. He hung from it for a second until pulling himself up. Morgana turned his gaze towards Akira and the girl, a look of worry on his face. “He worries me.”

“..me too.” Akira commented, giving a light chuckle. 

“Woah!” 

They turned back towards him, to see him lying on his ground, with the mesh thrown to the side. “Aww, crap. The enemy didn’t hear us did they?” 

“Probably.” [Name] sighed. 

He stood up a bit shakily, before pumping a fist in the air in excitement. “We’re finally getting out of here!” 

“You should hold off on celebrating until you finally get out. Now, get going!” Morgana ushered on. 

“What about you, Morgana?” [Name] asked, looking down at him. 

“There's something that I still have to do. We’re going our separate ways.” 

“Thanks” Both Akira and [Name] spoke at the same time, until awkwardly exchanging glances for a second. 

“Heh. At least some of you have manners.” She sheepishly blushed, rubbing the back of his head. “Be careful on your way.”

The three of them were exhausted when they landed. Ryuji was slouched over, hands on his knees, while Akira sat there exhausted. [Name] was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead. Gods, what happened? Why were they so tired all of a sudden? The blond turned his head over towards Akira before speaking.

“Did we make it?” 

“You have now returned to the real world. Welcome back.” A voice said. Akira’s eyes widened, and he reached a hand into his pocket to remove his phone. 

“Huh? Returned?” [Name] looked over and tried to look over his shoulder, onto his phone. “Does that mean we won’t see that castle again?”

“Probably..” Akira seemed unsure of himself as he put his phone back.

“Man, I dunno what to think anymore. What was all that anyways? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! What the hells going on?!” Ryuji started to raise his voice, drawing the attention of nearby people. 

“Ryuji-- Quiet down.” [Name] whispered to him.

He looked over towards her, but before anything even came from his mouth, two officers started to approach them. 

“Are you students of Shujin?” One of them asked. “Oh, cutting classes are we?”

“What? No!” The girl shrieked. “I wouldn’t cut class!”

“We were trying to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!” Ryuji interrupted her, trying to explain their current situation. He was certainly not helping, he sounded like a mad man. 

“...What? Hand over your bags. You better not be doing any drugs.” The officer looked over towards the girl, then Akira. “What, are you his girlfriend?” 

“W-What--” Her face was flustered, and she didn’t know how to respond. 

“I’m a new transfer student. I ended up taking the wrong turn along the way. They are both showing me how to get there.” Akira stepped in. His face was completely unreadable, she couldn’t even tell he was lying, despite being there for the whole crazy event.

“Then what was this castle he was talking about?” The officer pointed towards Ryuji.

Gods they were busted.

“Shujin! It was a castle! There were knights, and we escaped!” 

Ryuji, shut up!

“We passed by Shujin on our way here, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout anymore nonsense, I’ll contact your school, is that what you want?” 

“Come on, we shouldn’t be late.” Akira spoke up once again, taking a step away from the aggravated officer. 

“W-Wait a sec! Is that guy for real?” Both him and [Name] watched as Akira began to casually walk off. “Fine, I’m going!” Ryuji hissed, trying to catch up to Akira.

“W-Wait for me, you idiot!” [Name] stuttered, cursing them for leaving her behind.


	5. Chapter 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes back to the palace in order to find the source of the problem, only for Ryuji to unleash the rebellion within him. Our heroine tries to overcome her feelings of uselessness by procuring a weapon.

Chapter 4.

The walk on the way to school was mostly spent in silence. While [Name] wanted to ask the others about the strange palace, the boys' eyes were almost anywhere but each other. It was like some sort of unspoken rule not to talk about it. What was more surprising for her, was the fact that her blond friend was usually never this quiet. He was always talking about something, one way or another. It was almost lunchtime whenever they arrived at the front of the school, and the faint chime of the bell slowly ringing outside. The three of them stood at the base of the stairs, staring up at the building. 

“Is this for real?” Ryuji asked, gazing. “I’m sure we came the same way.. What’s goin’ on here?” 

Suddenly, a middle aged man in a beige dress suit stepped out of the school. It was one of the school’s councillors.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you, Sakamoto. We’ve received a call from the police.” 

“What!’ [Name] exclaimed, face flushed. 

“That damn cop snitched on us.” Ryuji grumbled under his breath.

“It’s rare not to see you alone. Where were you roaming around until this time?” 

“Uhh.. a ca-- a castle?” It sounds like he gave up hope about trying to convince anyone. 

“So you have no intention of giving me an honest answer?” The counselor shifted his gaze to the lone female of the trio. “What about you [Last Name]? Certainly a respected third-year such as yourself would tell the truth.”

[Name] was nervously playing with the bottom of her skirt, looking at the ground. “Well, uh-- he’s right. We did go to a castle.” She couldn’t meet his stare. He probably thinks she's an idiot. 

“What’s this about a castle?” A familiar sounding voice spoke from the top of the stairs. 

A man made his way down, standing next to the councillor.

“Kamoshida!?” Ryuji seemed startled. 

“You seem so carefree, Sakamoto.” Kamoshida gave a false smile. “Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team.’

“Shuddup! It's your fault that-” [Name] covered his mouth with her hand, glaring angrily at the man who was urging Ryuji on. 

“How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!?” The Counselor was once again barking at the students. 

This will be Akira’s first impression of the school, [Name] thought. This is absolutely horrible. The poor kid was just standing there watching it all unfold. 

“...There’s not much leeway left for you, you know, Sakamoto?

Ryuji removed the girl’s hand from his mouth, “He’s the one that provoked me!” 

“Do you really want to be expelled?! In any case, you’ll have to explain yourself. Follow me!”

“What!? This is bullshit!”

“Come now.” Kamoshida interjected. “I should have been more considerate, too. Let’s just say that we are both to blame.” 

“Well.. If you say so.. Still, you’re coming with me. It’s undeniable that you’re extremely late.” 

“Ugh.. fine.” Ryuji sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. He started to follow the counselor, sending an angry glare towards Kamoshida, who returned it. 

“By the way.. You’re that new transfer student, correct?” 

Akira nodded at him silently, observing him. 

“[Last name], I told you before, you gotta stay away from these delinquents.” Kamoshida chuckled. 

She didn’t respond. 

The bastard was the center of almost all the rumors in the school. How he was able to secure his position as PE coach, how he abuses his students, how he sexually harasses female students, all while the principal keeps a blind eye due to his Olympic status. While [Name] wasn’t on the volleyball team, she believed these rumors. The disgusting looks he gives to female students is enough to know that he’s a horrid individual. 

“The offer still stands, too. There is an open spot on the volleyball team if you ever decide to join.”

God that revolting smile he wore drove her insane. She wanted to run away. 

“No, thank you.” [Name] whispered, avoiding his stare. 

Akira took a step forward, placing himself in front of her. The teacher’s face twitched slightly, and a look of recognition flashed in his eyes.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“Yeah. I saw that girl get in your car.” Akira said. 

“Takamaki-san..” [Name] whispered her name, recalling it.

“Hmm.. well, I’ll overlook this just for today.”

The two students started to make their way to the school, until they were stopped once again. “I’m sure you’ve heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled. Understood?”

“Can’t you overlook more?” Akira said, sarcastically.

“Was that supposed to be a joke? I’m not laughing. At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I’m sure Ms. Kawakami is tired of waiting. Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life.” Kamoshida grinned, watching the two walk by him.

Though they still ended up making it to school, their teachers weren’t letting them off the hook that easily. [Name] assumed Akira was getting hell for it, especially since it was his first day of school, while Ryuji was the laughing stock of his classroom. She wasn’t ever late for class like this before. Ever. Unlike the other two, slipped into class while lunch was still in session, so many of the other students were too engrossed in talking to see her. 

The girl in the seat in front of her was silently eating her boxed lunch, slowly lifting her head when she saw the girl heading to the seat behind her. “You weren’t here this morning, [Last Name]-san. Was everything okay?” 

Haru Okumura was her name. 

Though she was a bit reserved, the girl was pretty popular amongst the students. She was the daughter of a wealthy man, the creator of ‘Okumura Foods’. [Name] thought she could slip by the auburn haired lady, yet her perspective stare still found her. 

“I.. I was trying to help a new student find his way here. He ended up taking a wrong turn and we got a bit lost.” [Name] gave an awkward smile, rubbing at the back of her neck. She sat down her bag, and started to pull out her schoolwork, the incident from earlier driving away any hunger she might have had. 

Haru tilted her head to the side. “The new transfer student?” 

“Uh, yeah. His name is Akira, he seems pretty cool.” She continued to dig through her bag as she was speaking, not noticing Haru’s confused look.

“I’ve overheard from many of the students today that he's some sort of criminal. Do you think that's true, [Last Name]-san?” 

She stopped rummaging through her bag, looking up to Haru. 

Well, the boy didn’t say much, he seemed to be pretty silent. Never once during the strange incident today, did she feel sort of unsafety around the boy. When they first entered the palace, he tried to take her away to save her, and when confronting Kamoshida when they came back, he put himself between the two when he noticed her discomfort. There was no way he was some sort of criminal. Ryuji was a bit of a punk, but even comparing him to Akira, Akira wasn’t much like Ryuji. 

“I.. didn’t even hear about that until now. He seems nice to me.” 

Haru gave her a small smile. “I’m glad you gave him a chance. You can’t always just judge anyone based on what other people say. I’m glad to be your desk neighbor.” 

Desk neighbor.

Oh sweet, cute Haru. Please, never change.

Once lunch was over, the day went on as normal. [Name] wasn’t paying attention in class. She just kept thinking about what happened this morning. What was that? Were they all dreaming maybe? No. When the knight wrapped his hands around her throat, she felt her windpipe crushing in. The pain she felt was definitely real, that was not a dream. Lazily drawing her pencil across her notebook, she felt her phone start to vibrate in her pocket. The girl pulled it out, seeing a text message from Ryuji.

Ryuji: Meet up on the rooftop today after school. 

Ryuji: I told Akira to come up too. 

Ryuji: What was that shit this morning?! I can’t pay attention in class! It’s all I’m thinking about. 

She peered her head up towards the teacher, making sure he didn't see her. 

[Name]: Me too. That was real, wasn’t it?

[Name]: Since when do you ever pay attention in class? Lmaoo

Ryuji: Shut up! Come on, really!?

[Name]: Shit, gotta g

She didn’t finish sending her text, as a piece of chalk soon hit her on the head. The girl looked up, the teacher giving her an angry stare. She sighed, scooting down in her seat as the other students around her began to chuckle.

This day will be over soon.

“There you are.” Ryuji was currently sitting back on a chair, feet kicked up on one of the many extra desks thrown onto the roof. Akira stood a little bit away, soon looking over towards [Name] as she arrived. “Sorry for callin’ you guys up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like, ‘don’t get involved with him’ too, huh?”

“She did say you were trouble.” Akira responded, taking a seat at one of the desks.

“Heh, we’re pretty much in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record, everyone’s talking about it. No wonder you were so gutsy.”

“Maybe if I pull the fire alarm enough times, I’ll be cool enough to hang out with you two.” [Name] chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Come on, [Name].” Ryuji sighed.

“Sorry.” She smiled, taking a seat with the two boys. There was silence for a few moments, until Ryuji suddenly made an outburst.

“Shit, I gotta ask. What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle… It wasn’t a dream right? You two remember it too, yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Akira spoke firmly. 

“Of course.” The girl stated. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“We’ll, just ‘cause we all remember it doesn’t mean much though.” Ryuji sat up, looking at Akira. “I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah.. Uh, thanks.” 

“Thank you, Akira. I-I honestly was about to give up back there.” [Name] grinned towards the black haired boy.

“It was nothing.” Akira responded, stoic as ever. 

“But man, that Kamoshida we saw there…” He looked over towards [Name], now frowning. ”You prolly don’t know about it, dude, but there are some rumors about him.”

“Kamoshida?” 

“You know, the guy you met at the school gates. The ripped one. That asshole that was all full of himself at the castle.” Ryuji sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No one says anything against him ‘cause he’s some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real’ cause of that…”

“Do you..” [Name] took a deep breath. “Do you think we can go back to the castle?” 

“No, it had to have been a dream.” The blond shook his head. “Sorry to drag you out here like this. That’s all I had to say. You know, Akira? We might be pretty similar. I feel like we’re gonna get along just fine as ‘troublemakers.’”

Akira gave a small smile, reaching up to adjust his glasses. 

“He used the same line on me too. Now look at us! Best friends!” [Name] leapt onto Ryuji’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He let out a scream while nearly tumbling over. The three of them were laughing, but she soon jumped down and gave a smile towards Akira. “Us ‘troublemakers’ gotta stick together.”

The next day was another rainy one. [Name] was not too sure what happened to her umbrella in the palace, so she ended up getting drenched instead. While making her way to the train station, she bumped into Akira and decided to walk with him. The ride itself was unsurprisingly packed to the brim with people. A bunch of the students were discussing the latest incident involving a conductor not stopping his high speed train, causing her mind to start heading towards Akechi. How was he doing in his investigations? Did he get hurt when he went to the investigation site? While her mind was adrift, she didn’t notice the red-headed girl in front of her. Akira stepped into the quarrel she was having with a man who took her seat, which caused [Name] to come back to reality. 

Once the two of them got off the train, the red-headed girl with a ribbon in her hair dashed over them, but specifically Akira. “Pardon me. Thank you so much for earlier.” She bowed. 

“With what?” Akira questioned. 

“For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train of course!” Her smile was blinding. She soon looked over the emblem on his blazer. “You’re a second year at Shujin Academy, correct? I’m a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn’t want to be rude to my senpai. Please excuse me!” 

As quickly as she came, she was gone again. 

The two exited the station, and Akira offered his umbrella to the girl. She shook her head, feeling both guilty and embarrassed.

“You sure?” He asked once again.

“Yes, I’m sure.” After sharing an umbrella with Akechi, she wasn’t sure if she could do it again. The way her heart raced due to the closeness.. Something in her stirred. 

School couldn’t have been any longer today. Algebra dragged on, and she was sure she was about to fall asleep at some point during Social Studies. Ryuji has been quiet all day too. Normally he is blowing up her phone in the middle of classes, trying to talk to her, but today was the exact opposite. She never once got a message from him. Maybe, he was sick? The dismissal bell soon rang, and she decided to head out and check on her friend. While making her way down the stairs, she arrived at the second-year floor, nearly bumping into Kamoshida, who stood with his back to her.

“Hey there, Takamaki.” She looked around him, noticing an uncomfortable looking Ann. It seems like he didn’t notice her yet, so she took a few steps away to seem inconspicuous. “Things have been getting pretty dangerous with all those accidents.” 

“Sorry.” Ann looked towards him with a solemn look on her face. “I have a photoshoot today. It’s for the special summer issue, so I can’t afford to miss it.” 

“Hey now, being a model’s fine and dandy, but you shouldn’t work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren’t feeling well right? Something about appendicitis? 

“Yeah, I’ve been planning to go to the hospital, but I’ve just been so busy… Sorry to worry you.” 

“You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your friend at practice so often.” He looked up, eyes scanning the hallway. “Oh, and.. Be careful of that new transfer student. He’s got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…” 

Ann tightened her grip on her bag, taking a few steps to the side of Kamoshida to head down the hall towards her. “... Thank you. Please, excuse me,” Taking a few steps, she accidentally bumped into [Name]’s side, causing her to quietly murmur an apology before continuing.

Kamoshida continued to stare at her as she walked down the hallway, shaking his head in dismay well letting out an annoyed huff, before shifting his gaze to the girl she bumped into, who was now staring at him. She tried her best to hold in her anger during that whole exchange. Poor Ann was just so uncomfortable the whole time, why was he forcing her into talking to him. He squinted his eyes slightly, before speaking. 

“Is there something on your mind, [Last Name]?” 

Oh god, she was glaring at him. 

She quickly realized her mistake, and before she was able to say anything, a familiar figure walked up to her, who Kamoshida took notice of. Akira walked up to her, asking her if she was still interested in walking home together. She caught on, shaking her head while following the boy. 

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah..”

“Did you hear what he was saying to her?”

“I did. I’m worried for Ann..” [Name] twirled her fingers, frowning.

The two eventually made their way to the gate, being stopped by a familiar face. 

“Yo. Didn’t expect to see you two together.” Ryuji greeted. 

“What’s up?” Akira asked. 

“I was thinking about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin’ myself it was just a dream.. But I couldn’t do it. I can’t act like nothin’ happened. It’s all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I wanna find what’s up with that place, no matter what. And y’know, you two are the only ones I can rely on with this stuff. Ya in?

“You want to go back?” [Name] seemed surprised by his suggestion. She wasn’t sure how helpful she would be, but if it means getting to the bottom of it… “I’m in.”

“Me too.” Akira responded with a nod of his head.

“Nice! Okay, glad we’re all in this together. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you two were going to head to the station, right? Let’s go together. Let me know if you see any, uh, weird buildings along the way.”

The small group ended up heading to the station, and tried walking back to the school again. Nothing was out of the ordinary this time though, no strange palaces or purple skies. They tried two more times, only to end up with the same results. After discussing what could have gone wrong, [Name] spoke up.

“Hey.. didn’t you have some sort of Navigation App or something?” 

Akira gave her a confused look. “Navigation app?”

“I don’t know.” She shyly shrugged. “ I thought I heard some sort of voice thingy saying how we ‘returned to the real world’.”

Akira pulled out his phone, unsure of what to look for. Ryuji swiped it from his hand to his surprise, and pointed out a strange looking app with an eye for an icon. Akira explained he’s tried deleting the app multiple times, but it kept coming back. 

“Hmm.. strange” Ryuji tried to open the app. “Oh wait this is it!” 

He showed the phone to the two, a smug grin on his face.

“Look! It is a Navigation App. There’s even your search history. Oh man, I’m such a genius.”

[Name] let out a disappointed sigh. Y’know what? She’ll let him have it.

He tried to activate the app, but the other two seemed a bit hesitant. Before they could say anything, he already tapped the navigate button, and the phone began to speak.

“Beginning navigation. Kamoshida.. Shujin Academy.. Pervert.. Castle..”

“Alright! Then we went in a certain direction and--”

[Name] could feel the heaviness in the air set in. Her breathing stopped momentarily as a surge of energy went through her. She looked up at the boys, and it seemed like they felt it too. 

“Yo-- What the hell!” Ryuji exclaimed. 

Now standing in front of them was the same castle as the previous morning. Akira was also in his strange outfit and mask, looking at the two of them in confusion. 

“We’re back..” [Name] trailed off as they started to approach the front of the castle again. 

“Dude, those clothes!” After the initial shock set in, Ryuji finally got a good look at Akira. “That happened last time too! What’s with that outfit?”

“Not bad, huh?” Akira sent him a wink, and a smug smirk. 

“I think you look good, Akira.” The girl shrugged. 

“You’re not helping, [Name]!” Ryuji facepalmed. 

“Hey!” They heard a voice call from a bit away. Coming out from behind a piece of debris, was Morgana. “If you keep making a commotion, they’ll hear us!”

“You!’ Ryuji pointed a finger towards the cat.

“The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be. To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape.”

“What is this place? Is this place a school?”

“That’s right.”

“But it’s a castle!” Ryuji shouted. 

Morgana went on to explain that the castle is indeed Shujin Academy. Due to the distorted views of the palace’s ruler, it was actually a castle to him. Everything the palace ruler viewed, was a reality in this plane. As he was explaining, they were suddenly caught by surprise as a loud scream erupted from the large building. 

“W-what was that?” [Name] leapt in surprise.

“It must have been the slaves captive here.” Morgana responded. 

“The others?” Another scream erupted. “We have to do something! They were from our school!”

“It's nothing out of the ordinary here. They’re probably being tortured by Kamoshida’s orders. What’s more, when you three escaped yesterday, he must have lost his temper for quite a bit.”

“That.. That- ugh!” She let out an aggravated sigh. 

“That bastard!’ Ryuji spit. 

“Ryuji?”

“This is bullshit!” The blond ran over to the blockaded entrance, throwing his body weight against it to try and force it open. “You hear me Kamoshida?” 

Ryuji ended up asking if Morgana was able to take them to the source of the screams. He seemed hesitant at first, but soon agreed under the condition that Akira has to go too. It’s not like they were going to go separate ways anyway. As soon as they agreed, they soon made their entrance by going in through the vent they went out of yesterday. Morgana soon led them into the grand open hall they first entered in yesterday, only for it to almost flicker in and out of existence. They were surprised, but he explained that due to it existing on another plane, it's possible for it to flicker between both of them occasionally. 

They went down into the basement, only for Morgana to hurry and tell them all to hide. The guards were still heavily patrolling the area, and him and Akira had to take it out. After a fairly quick battle, they were moving again. Up ahead, were sets of jail cells that contained some students yesterday, but were currently emptied out. It seems like they’ve been transferred out, according to Morgana. Ryuji ended up running ahead a bit, only to quickly turn around at the sounds of knights rapidly coming down the hall. Morgana ended up bringing them into a nearby ‘safe room’ as he called it. The room flickered once again.

“Is this a classroom?” Ryuji asked, looking around.

Morgana went on to explain that it was indeed a classroom, but since Kamoshida’s distorted heart saw it as something else, it became that.

“This is kinda creepy.. He thinks of himself as a king?” [Name] asked.

“Seems like it.” Morgana chimed in. “He thinks this school is his castle.”

“So it just became like this cause he thought of that?” Ryuji asked angrily. “Hahaha.. That fucking son of a bitch!”

“You must really hate this Kamoshida guy..”

“Hate doesn’t even cover how I feel. Everything is that asshole’s fault!” 

Poor Ryuji. 

[Name] can remember the day that it all went downhill with Ryuji and Kamoshida. She remembers just laying in her bed, and then receiving a call from Ryuji’s mom. She explained that Ryuji was currently in the hospital due to a broken femur, and is said to have assaulted Kamoshida. The girl felt absolutely heartbroken that day, and begged her brother to take her to see her friend. When Ryuji was able to take visitors, he told her that the bastard snapped his bone clear in half, and that he was set up. She believed him. She knew Ryuji might be a bit… anger driven sometimes, but he wouldn’t do anything like that without reason. Just remembering it, she felt her heart break again, looking downdraught towards her friend. 

“I don’t know what happened between you two,” Morgana’s ear twitched down and he folded his arms as he continued. “But don’t let your emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are everywhere inside.”

The conversation was dropped, and they stood in pure silence for a few seconds. 

“You’re curious about your outfit, aren’t you?” The cat looked at Akira. He nodded. “That’s because of this world too.”

“More stuff that makes no sense..” Ryuji muttered. 

“Anything distorts depending on how the ruler pleases within his palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that! It’s the image of rebellion you hold deep within.”

“Woah..” [Name} seemed slightly amazed. “That sounds like something straight out of a book or something.”

Akira gave the girl a small smile. 

“Ugh, I’m so fed up with all this.” Ryuji shouted. “I’m more curious of you than his clothes. What the hell are you anyways!?”

“Looks like a kitty to me.” [Name] said.

“I am NOT a cat. I am a human-- an honest, good human.” Morgana sighs. “This is, well.. It’s because I lost my normal form, I think.”

“You think?” Ryuji asks sarcastically.

“But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. But, I uh, ended up getting caught though. Besides, I was tortured by Kamoshida too, and I want to make him pay!”

“What is this, a comic book? This is seriously getting crazy…”

“Anyway, if we’re gonna keep going, we should hurry along. I’ll be counting on your skills this time too, okay, rookie?” Morgana looked over towards Akira. 

[Name] had to admit, she felt guilty for not being able to do anything. She didn’t have a first aid kit in her, have any weapon, or a cool persona like two of the boys. Maybe, she was just dragging them down? Ryuji ended up pulling out some sort of gun, causing everyone to look at him in shock. When did he carry a gun on him!? Was he even old enough for that!  
“I brought this just in case. It’s a model gun though, so it only makes sounds.” 

It was a toy though.

“Oh, I brought some medicine too. You know what they say, providin’ is pre.. Somethin’.”

He remembered to bring all this stuff, but she didn’t? Come on, [Name]. 

They resumed their investigation of the palace, Akira now holding onto the pistol while [Name] took ahold of the medicine. While trying not to get caught, Morgana was slowly teaching them how to properly infiltrate a palace and ambush enemies. While learning, they figured out that the toy gun Ryuji brought, actually works in this cognitive world. Since it looks real, the shadows and palace ruler believe it to be real, therefore it is. She didn’t know Akira could handle a gun that well, it was almost scary.

After making their way down the hall, they came across a strange looking door with a banner hanging over it. 

“Kamoshida’s Training Hall of Love?” [Name] cringed. “Just reading that makes me want to vomit. What the hell is this place?” 

They all stepped through the door, only to hear faint painful moans echoing in the hall. 

“Oh my god.” She whispered under her breath. 

The group soon found a larger cell, where the cries were coming from. Inside, was a volleyball court, but hanging onto the net by chains were a bunch of boys being whipped by a few armored figures. Ryuji let out an aggravated cry.

“This is bullshit!” 

“I thought I told you to keep your voice down!” Morgana let out a forced whisper. 

“How do I open this?” He wrapped his hands around the bars, and pulled. 

[Name] was silent, just watching in horror as the poor students got tortured. 

“Stop it..” A boy walked up to them from the inside of the cage, looking at them with pleading eyes. “Leave us alone.. It’s useless..”

Another boy stepped up, holding his arm as it hung limply to his side. “If we stay obedient, he won’t execute us like you guys.”

“Y-You want to stay here?” [Name] finally managed to say something, though they were faint.

“Wait, were you two planning on taking these guys out of here?” Morgana was looking between the pissed off Ryuji, and the saddened [Name]. 

“We can’t leave them here, Morgana. He already hurts enough people in our world.” The girl looked at him with big eyes. 

The cat sighed. “They’re only humans of Kamoshida’s. Unlike you guys, they haven’t entered here from the real world. There’s no point in saving them, they only exist for the sole purpose of being tortured.”

“The hell! Why does it gotta be so complicated!” Ryuji still didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“They look so real though..” [Name] commented. “But, thank you for finally clarifying that Morgana. I’m sorry about yelling at you before.” 

He looked at her with a look of pain in his eyes. He couldn’t stay mad at a cute girl this long! “It’s okay.” He went up to the cage and stood by Ryuji. “Still, this is horrible. It must mean he views them as slaves in the real world.”

“Wait-- I remember now! They’re part of the volleyball team, the one Kamoshida coaches for!” Ryuji leapt up. “So does this mean they’re being tortured in reality.” He looked down towards Morgana.

“There’s a good chance.”

“I heard that Kamoshida is usin’ physical punishment. They’re just rumors, but.. If they’re true, wouldn’t this be something to report to the police? I’ll use these guys as evidence.” He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, only to start cussing it out a few moments later. “You sayin’ we can use the Navigation App but the camera’s a no go?”

“Navigation App?” Morgana asked.

“Yeah, it’s what we used to get here. Any luck guys?”

The other two tried to use their camera apps, but both of them failed. Ryuji then insisted that he has to remember all of the members' faces, and that it was the only way. 

They continued, finding various other rooms with students. Some were being hung from the ceiling with volleyballs being pelted at them, while some were on a giant treadmill about to get skewered. What was a bit odd though, was that none of them were female. They were only male students. 

They entered another room, but were quickly forced to hide as a patrolling guard announced the chances for intruders were high. The only thing they could do at this point was to leave. Morgana was running ahead of them, trying to lead them to the exit, with Akira behind him and Ryuji and [Name] at the tail of the party. Like the previous day, they came out using the basement door, only to end up in the large greeting hall. They were almost there. [Name] felt more and more dread every step she took.

Suddenly, they were forced to stop as Kamoshida emerged, blocking their path with a row of guards. On his right was the same knight as before, the gold plated one, and his left, just a normal soldier.

“...you knaves again? To think you’d make the same mistake again. You’re hopeless!”

“The school ain’t your castle!” The blond pushed his way past [Name], standing besides Akira. “I’ve memorized their faces real good. You’re goin’ down!”

“It seems it's true when they say ‘barking dogs seldom bite’. How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.”

“What are you getting at?” 

A shit-eating grin plastered across Kamoshida’s face. “I speak of the ‘Track Traitor’ who acted in violence, ending his teammates’ dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under your.. Selfish act.’

As he spoke, [Name] could feel her blood begin to boil. Any fear she might have once held against this strange king, was now pure anger. 

“Violence?” Akira asked, looking towards Ryuji.

“What a surprise. So, you’re accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on carefree as ever.”

“Akira that’s not true! Don’t listen to him!” The girl argued back. 

“What a tragedy.. You blindly trusted this fool, and he led you right to your death.” Kamoshida looked at the guard to his right. “Hurry up and dispose of them. I can’t stand their stench.” He took a few steps back, looking straight in between the boys and directly at [Name]. “I told you not to get involved with them, didn’t I? Now, you have to die too.”

The golden knight raised his sword and ordered three of the other soldiers to attack. They erupted into black shadow, turning into Bicorns. The two monsters piercing red stares were predatory, so Morgana and Akira both pushed Ryuji to the side. 

“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you cause that’s what King Kamoshida wants! I’ll kill cause that's what he wants!” One of the bicorns shouted, rearing up on his hind legs. 

Both Morgana and Akira summoned their personas, and began to fight. The bicorns would charge at them, forcing them to swiftly dodge out of the way before another one lunged at them. While they didn’t have a lot of attacks to fight with, what they did have was overwhelming numbers. They would kill one of them, and then another would appear. One suddenly appeared in front of Ryuji, staring at him. It dug his hoof into the ground, and proceeded to charge. [Name] leapt in front of her friend, to try and shield him from the monster, only for it to be consumed in a torrent of wind, and disappear into black particles. 

“Stay back you two!” Morgana exclaimed, before being taken down by one of the beasts. Akira looked down at his friend, only to then also be charged directly in the chest. He landed on his stomach, and was letting out heavy breaths. 

Kamoshida took a few steps forward again. He walked past the two boys on the ground, only for the golden armored guard to step on Akira’s back, and another black plated guard to pin down Morgana. 

Shit.

As Kamoshida tried advancing towards Ryuji, the poor boy ended up dropping to his knees. [Name] put herself back up in front of him, trying to do anything to protect him. This was the best she could do. She wasn’t going to let that bastard walk all over her friend again.

“I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, Isn’t that right?” Kamoshida continued to prod at him.

“No…” Ryuji shook his head.” No..”

“What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly. How dare you raise a hand at me? Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?

“It wasn’t practice, it was physical abuse! You just didn’t like our team.” He fell, his head on the ground in defeat. 

“It was nothing but an eyesore! The one who needed to achieve results was me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too.. Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would’ve settled it with only breaking his star’s leg.”

[Name] could hear the words echoing in her mind. That bastard was the one who ruined Ryuji’s track team's future, the one who caused him to suffer. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, as she felt nothing but pure malice towards the man that stood in front of her. 

“What did you just say?” She could feel the words on her tongue were laced with a venom.

“Do you need me to deal with your other leg too, Sakamoto? The school will call it self defense anyway.”

“D-Dammit.” Ryuji rested his head on the floor, and slammed his fist on the ground. “Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore, but the track team is gone too ‘cause of this asshole.”

“So that’s why..” Morgana muttered.

Kamoshida started to approach the crestfallen boy, staring down at the girl who was in his way. 

“If you dare lay a finger on him, I’ll tear you apart.” [Name] spat.

The king looked at her. A small, little teenage girl was going to stand in his way? 

“You.” Kamoshida squinted his eyes towards her. “An unassuming little bitch, wants to lay a hand on me? He’s been rubbing off on you, [Last Name]. Girls are so much better when they learn their place, and know not to speak up to their king.” 

She lunged at him, trying to shove him over. He stumbled back a few steps, surprised she even had that among of strength in her, before overpowering her and pushing her to the ground. The girl fell onto her back, and before she could stand up, Kamoshida pushed her down by resting his foot on her chest. 

“Name!” Ryuji looked in surprise towards her, fear in his eyes.

“You prick!” She growled, spitting on his face. He wiped it off in disgust, before growling and harshly thrusting his foot onto her, before she let out a yelp of pain. 

“Once these three are dealt with.” He turned back to Ryuji. “You’re next… hahahahaha!” 

“Ryu--AUGH!” [Name] brought her hands up to move his foot, but he stepped on her once more as he continued to maniacally laugh.

“Don’t let him win! You have to stand up for yourself!” Akira finally spoke up, loud enough for his voice to echo around the halls. 

“...You’re right. Everything that was important to me was taken from him.. I’ll never get them back!” The blond was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“Stay there and watch.” He knelt down so he was hovering over the girl beneath him, gazing upon her with predatory eyes. “Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.”

“[Name!]” Akira shouted, struggling beneath the knight.

She let out a small cry, not noticing Ryuji suddenly starting to stand up. With shoulders slumped, he looked around at all his friends. 

“No, that’s what you are. All you think about is using people.. You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida. You better not lay another finger on her.” He started to approach the king with heavy steps.

Kamoshida stood up straight again, looking around at the knights with slight panic. “What are you doing? Silence him!”

“Stop looking down on us, with that stupid smile on your face!’

It happened once again, and [Name] knew this wasn’t a dream. Ryuji dropped to his knees, eyes dilating as he held his head in pain. He rolled around on the floor, gasping for air and screaming bloody murder as spouts of blue fire eventually took over. He stood up from the flames, a strange, silvery skull mask now on his face. 

“What can you do? Sit there and watch.” The golden knight hovering above Akira was about to bring his sword down, and in that instant, a volcanic eruption of the flame sourced from Ryuji, knocking the weapon, the guards, and Kamoshida to fly back and loose their grips on their victims. As the flash of light was over, [Name] shakily stood on her legs, staring in astonishment at Ryuji.

He was now dressed in his new attire, a strange persona with a ship hovering behind him. 

Gods it looked like a huge one. 

“Ugh, this one as well?” She heard Kamoshida let out an annoyed sigh.

“Right on… Wassup, Persona! This fucking rocks!” Examining his gloves, Ryuji clenched his fist in newfound excitement. “Now that I got this power, it’s time for payback.”

Akira stood up, Morgana leaping up behind him and took stance besides Ryuji. 

“It’s my turn to protect you, [Name].” Ryuji gestured for her to get behind him, and she nodded, doing so. “Bring it!”

“Don’t mock me you brat!” The golden knight swung his sword down, dispersing into a mesh of black while transforming into a soldier heavily clad in red mounted on a black steed. He let out a war cry, before charging towards the group of persona users. 

“Blast them away, Captain Kidd!”

The knight swung his lance down on Ryuji, leapt back in surprise. Captain Kidd shot out a cannonshot, an orb of electricity hitting the soldier. He staggered back, letting out a hiss in response. Akira quickly followed up by having Arsene use Eiha, and Morgan use Garu to send a wave of magic towards him. He fell back, but not before trying to get another hit in on Ryuji. He swung his lance down like before, but feinted Ryuji out by swinging it another direction. He took a good hit to the chest before Morgana yelled at him to get some healing. Akira was able to finish the beast off. 

He reverted back to the golden clad knight, and fell onto his back in defeat. Ryuji was exhausted, nearly out of breath by the time the battle was over. “How ‘bout that?”

“So, Ryuji had the potential for a persona too.” Morgana seemed surprised.

“Even if you apologize now, I ain’t forgiving you!” The blond sneered towards Kamoshida, who strode forward past the unconscious guard captain.

“I told you that this was my castle. It seems you still don’t understand…”

[Name] looked away from them, gaze wandering up one of the sets of stairs, noticing a strange new figure running down. Her eyes widened as she recognized the girl. Was that..?

“Wh- Takamaki?” Ryuji spit out as he leapt off the final step and into Kamoshida’s arms. 

Unlike normal Ann, she was dressed in some sort of skimpy purple swimsuit with a pair of cat ears. Morgana couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, and Ryuji let out a disgusted grunt. “Whats going on?”

“Something seems off..” Akira looked back towards [Name]. This was a lot different than the way the two were acting when school ended. Ann looked extremely uncomfortable then, but now she was all over him. 

“This isn’t like her..” The girl said,

“Why is she even here?” Ryuji let the question linger in the air. 

Kamoshida brought his hand up to stroke the side of Ann’s cheek. 

“Hey! Let go of her ya perv!”

“How many times do I have to tell you until you understand? This is MY castle-- A place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone here wishes to be loved by me. That is.. Everyone but slow-witted thieves like you.” The king responded. 

“Takamaki! Say somethin’!”

“Calm down, Ryuji. It seems this girl isn’t the real one.” Morgana interrupted their dispute, trying to hush Ryuji. “She’s the same as those slaves-- a being made of Kamoshida’s cognition of her.” 

“Are you jealous?” Kamoshida smirked. “Well, I’m not surprised. Women aren’t drawn to problematic punks like you.”

[Name] wished that she had a persona, just so she could pound this bastard into the ground. Her friend let out an aggravated grunt, before Kamoshida started giving orders once more. 

“I order you, clean them up this instant.” 

From out of nowhere, more of the shadow guards appeared, attempting to surround them again.

“We’re outnumbered! We have to leave!” [Name] shouted. 

“We’re not gonna do anything but run!?”

“Ryuji, she's right. We can’t die here.” Akira peered over to the hot headed blond. 

“At least two of you have a level head!” Morgana brought his scimitar out, ready to charge and make a path.

“We’ll expose what you really are, no matter what. You better be ready for us!” 

“I was starting to get bored with torturing the ones here.” Kamoshida chuckled. “Come at me whenever you want! I don’t care about your life! Hahahaha!”

“Ignore him, let's go!”

They finally made it back outside the palace, and as soon as they made it through the vents, a wave of exhaustion hit everyone, especially Ryuji, who had his hands on his knees, letting out heavy breaths. 

“Are you guys okay?” [Name] asked, looking over the boys. Most of them nodded, they didn’t take too much damage. Ryuji looked over his arms, then his body for damage.

“Yo! I don’t remember changing into this!” 

“You look like a thug.” Akira told him with a straight face.

‘What the hell! I-It's much better than your magician lookin’ one!” He felt an embarrassed blush start to show on his face. Akira chuckled, giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

“I think you look great Ryuji, don’t worry.” [Name] cooed, trying to lighten the mood. The boy couldn’t face either of them and ended up turning around as his face was red. 

“Did you find them?” They heard a voice from inside the castle yell.

“Quiet.” Akira whispered, putting a finger over his lips. 

“No, search that way!”

“So, what’s goin’ on? I’m completely lost.” Ryuji tried to whisper, but it was still a bit loud.

“When a Persona-user opposes a Palace’s ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It’s to prevent you from being affected by the distortions.” Morgana explained. 

“Is this.. A skull?” He reached up to his face, a gloved hand running over his new silver skull mask.

“Yes. Your appearance reflects your inner self. It’s the rebel that slumbers within… not that’ll you’ll get it.”

“...Nope.”

“Then stop asking questions, and accept what you see for what it really is.”

“Easy for you to say..” He let out a sudden gasp. “Wait, we’re in some deep shit!”

‘Ryuji! Be quiet!” [Name] angrily whispered. 

“We might have gotten away here, but we’re still screwed with Kamoshida in the real school.” He looked at the other students with a look of panic. 

“Relax. The Kamoshida in reality can’t possibly know what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed-- a side of one’s personality they don’t want to see.”

“So.. we’re okay?”

“Did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution?”

“No, he didn’t..” [Name] seemed a bit surprised. “Okay so now we can head home?”

“Wait!” Morgans stopped her. “I guided you here as promised. It’s your turn to cooperate with me.”

The three all looked at each other in confusion. 

“That’s why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything.”

“Cooperate?” Ryuji asked.

“Don’t you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my true form! That’s why we must delve deep into Mementos and-”

“Woah, hold up. What are you goin on and on about? We never said anything about helping you out.” 

“Huh!?” Morgana overdramaticall fell back in shock. “Don’t tell me, are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? Especially you, Akira! You're going to up and leave, even though you’re already part of my master plan?”

“We never promised anything.” Akira shook his head. 

“See, I wasn’t lyin’.”

“Is it because I’m not a human? Because I’m more like a cat? Is that why you’re making a fool of me?”

“It wouldn’t matter, you’re a cute little kitty, Morgana.” [Name] bent down and pet his head, but he turned around abruptly. “We’re just busy people.”

“Yeah, thanks for the help, cat. You got guts and all, y’know, for being a cat and all. See ya around!” Ryuji bent down and fluffed the little guy's hair too, before standing up and turning around to leave. [Name] and Akira followed shortly behind, and she thinks she can hear Morgana shouting obscenities behind them. 

“You have returned to the real world, welcome back.” They all heard the navigator from Akira’s phone play.

They appeared back in the alley, a bit away from the school. Ryuji was resting against the wall, while Akira and [Name] stood there blinking a few times. There were students leaving the building still, and it seems like time didn’t even pass.

“...Thank god. We’re back.” Ryuji looked up at the twom and frowned. “Hey.. I’m sorry for draggin you into my mess, I’m sorry. I’m dead tired, how’re you guys holding up?”

It suddenly hit her harder than before, how useless she felt today. Ryuji gained the power of persona, and now she was currently the only one in the group who offered nothing to the table. While they were fighting for their lives, she stood there while they guarded her. It must have shown on her face, because she didn’t notice either of the boys calling out to her. 

“[Name]? You okay?” Akira looked concerned. 

“Yeah.. just tired from today.” She lied, hoping they didn’t see through her smile.

“Just makin sure… I also gotta say, thanks for standing up to me against Kamoshida. I don’t know how you were able to do that.” Ryuji put a hand on the back of his neck, and couldn’t make eye contact with her. “It uh.. It really meant a lot to me back there. I’m sorry if you got hurt because of me.”

“Ryuji..” She sounded a bit astonished. “I.. I didn’t want to see him hurt you again. I don’t want to see him hurt anyone again.”

“Me either. I still have those kids faces memorized. Once we make them fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done for. But… we gotta look for witnesses, you guys in?”

Akira nodded silently, while [Name] did the same. 

“And dude…” Ryuji looked at Akira. “If you’re thinkin’ of layin’ low cause you got a record, I don’t think that’ll help. Everyone already knows, they totally have you pegged for a criminal.”

“How’d that happen?” 

“Kamoshida opened his damn mouth.” 

“But why?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a student or a club, that asshole just wrecks things he doesn’t agree with. Just like he did with me!” Ryuji took a deep breath. “No one has ever listened to me, but [Name]. Still, these rumors of physical contact might be real, and after seein’ Kamoshida’s distorted heart thing in person, there’s no way I can just sit back.” 

“I’m with you.” 

And from that point on, Ryuji and [Name] both knew they made another friend. 

Both Akira and Ryuji decided they we’re getting hungry, and decided to spend the evening going out to some low grade ramen outlet to eat. [Name] told them she had to meet up with her brother tonight, and wasn’t able to make it. After they went to the train station, they went their separate ways. 

She wasn’t heading home tonight.

She didn’t want to be a detriment to the team next time they go in. 

She needs to find a weapon of some sort, but.. who knows anything about weapons? If she asked her brother, he’d constantly question her why she needed it, and how she was able to procure it. Akira was still somewhat of a stranger to her, and she wasn’t sure if he would have a vast interest in them anyway. Ryuji would scold her and tell her that he could protect her, so who could she ask? Scrolling through her contacts on the train, she remembered the boy she met at the cafe. 

Goro Akechi, Detective Prince. He was in the police force right?

Deciding between calling to texting him, it was giving her a bit of anxiety. He was a bigshot, and might be busy.. But she was also heading to the palace soon again and needed one procured asap. She sighed, and tried her luck.

The phone rang for a few seconds.

“Hello? This is Akechi speaking.” The voice on the other line spoke.

“Akechi-san! It’s me, [Name] [Last Name].”

“Is everything okay?”

“I was hoping.. You were off today. I actually need your help with something, are you busy?”

“I’m currently on my way back to my apartment, but, what do you need?”

“I, um…” She trailed off. “I need help with um… picking out a handgun.”

“A handgun?” He sounded confused. 

“Yeah.” Oh god, she's not sounding believable. Come on, [Name!] “In all honesty, I don’t feel too safe walking back from Akihabara at night.. I know you’re an officer and I was just wondering if you can maybe help me pick out a good one?” She more so asked than stated.

“..hmm, okay.” He seemed a bit puzzled but agreed. 

“But, not a real one of course! I can carry one but, I’d rather have something fake.”

“Interesting.. I know a place we could go.” 

“I forgot to ask, um, where are you..?”

“I live in Shibuya, so if you’d like we can meet up outside at the train station.”

“Thank you!” She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

[Name] hung up.

That could have gone a lot better. 

Akechi currently sat in traffic, one hand lazily resting on the wheel and the other adjusting the radio. How long has he been sitting here? It feels like forever. The radio was only playing a faint, slow jazz song, and he started to get lost in his thoughts again. Briefly, he heard his phone begin to ring, and reached into his pocket to get it. Don’t be Shido, again. 

[Name?]

Odd.

“Hello? This is Akechi speaking.” Suddenly, he no longer cared about the unmoving traffic, or the slow melody that played in the stereo.

“Akechi-san! It’s me [Name] [Last Name]” She sounded a bit reserved, but that didn’t seem unusual for her. 

“Is everything okay?”

“I was hoping.. You were off today. I actually need your help with something, are you busy?”

“I’m currently on my way back to my apartment, but, what do you need?”

“I, um…” Her voice trailed off on the other end, and it sounded like she was troubled. Here it comes, the part he eventually knew was coming. She was going to use him for something, for her own personal gain, like they all do. “I need help, um.. Picking out a handgun.”

That struck him as odd and out of character. Yes, he has only met her a few times before, but he is usually able to get a good read of people. 

“A handgun?” Akechi repeated, confused. 

Maybe he misheard her. 

“Yeah.” [Name] paused on the other end. “In all honesty, I don’t feel too safe walking back from Akihabara at night.. I know you’re an officer and I was just wondering if you can maybe help me pick out a good one?” 

She was lying to him. The detective could pick up the hesitance in her voice. 

“But, not a real one of course! I can carry one but, I’d rather have something fake.” 

“Interesting.. I know a place we could go.” 

Untouchable, one of the most shady places in Shibuya. They supposedly sell pretty okay quality model weapons there, but the prices might be a bit high. It was currently under investigation by someone under him in the station, but that didn’t matter to him. He wanted to know why she was so fixated on this toy weapon.

“..hmm, okay.” He agreed to it, but his interest only heightened. 

“I forgot to ask, um, where are you..?”

“I live in Shibuya, so if you’d like we can meet up outside at the train station.”

Akechi stared out at the traffic in front of him, letting out a sigh of relief as it finally started to get moving again. 

“Thank you!” [Name] seemed relieved after he agreed, and promptly hung up. She wanted him to help her pick a good gun, but it's only for show? If it was only to scare someone, any gun would do. 

After a half an hour, he eventually was able to make it to Shibuya Station, where crowds of people flocked the streets. He stood there waiting for her for a few minutes, unsure of which train she would be coming off of. As he waited, he noticed a small group of women from the corner of his eye watching him, pointing. They seemed too shy to approach him, but he knew what they wanted. Autographs, his number, photos, or even to give him a love letter. He can only guess what it would be this time. They started to approach him, and he let out a small sigh before donning his signature smile.

“Akechi-san!” He recognized that voice as the girl from the coffee shop.

[Name] came running up to him with a huge grin on her face, and seemingly out of breath as she ran all the way from the gate to find him. 

“H-How are you?” She let out a gasp for air. 

He reached a hand out to her, and chuckled. “It’s great to see you again.” 

She took it, and shook it. “I’m glad you made it back safe from wherever you were investigating… That’s a part of the reason I asked you to help me today. I wanted to make sure you were okay, it’s a dangerous world out there.” 

The group of girls halted as the little Shujin girl walked up to him, shaking his hand and greeting him like a friend. They murmured amongst themselves, gossiping as to who she might be. 

“I’m fine, [Name]-san.” Akechi smiled at her. “Just another day's work.”

Inside, he could feel his heartbeat a bit faster. Did she actually care about seeing him alive? No, he thought, she was just trying to strike his ego before she uses him. No one is happy to see him come back from a mission. Not his ‘father’, not even himself. 

But he couldn’t tell if she was deceiving him that time.

There was nothing to say she was.

She did before, but this.. even stumped him. Why was she so complex?

“I’m sorry for calling you out of the blue.” [Name] tugged nervously at the base of her skirt. “I didn’t know who else to ask.”

“Oh, it’s alright. Come now, I know a place we could go that is local. I’ll admit I don't frequent it, but it might have something you are looking for.” Akechi offered her his hand once more, but this time, it was different. “Shall I escort you?” 

He could hear the faint murmurs of the group of fangirls behind them. It seems [Name] was completely oblivious, and more interested in the fact he has offered to take her hand. Perfect. She nervously took it, the fact that she’s never done this before pretty apparent. 

“I don’t bite, no need to be shy.” He chuckled, interlocking her fingers with his. 

“I-I know. I’m just not used to this.” She seemed pretty embarrassed. 

“A gentleman should always help a lady in need, and you asked for my assistance.” 

“I-If you put it that way!” 

The two ended walking the congested streets of Shibuya, many passersby taking notice of the strange girl the famous detective had on his arm. Thankfully, the girl paid no attention to them, or just didn’t notice them at all. Soon enough they made it to Central Street, where she has been multiple times. 

“It’s over here.” Akechi brought her down a rather vacant and trashed alleyway, where they found a dank old building standing there in the dark. Untouchable. “You should be able to get yourself something. What are you looking for?”

“I really don’t know. Something that could fit in a bag maybe..” [Name] pursed her lips as she decided. 

He opened the door for her, and let go of her hand. No bell rang to signal their entrance, just the cold stare from the man behind the desk. Akechi knew his name, Munehisa Iwai, a former member of the Yakuza. But, as they entered, he said nothing to the man.

“Whatcha lookin for, kid?” Iwai questioned him, throwing the end of his smoke in the ashtray. 

Akechi looked over towards the girl, who looked at all the guns on the wall in amazement. 

“A gun.” She smiled.

The detective suddenly knew that she was not being shady with him, but she actually didn’t know anything about them. A single damned thing, it seemed. 

Iwai stared at her, deadpanned. 

“She’s looking for a model.” Akechi told him. 

Looking at the walls, they had everything from submachine guns, to shotguns and even rifles. While it would be absolutely awesome to use one of those in the metaverse, it’s nothing she can carry on her. Akechi and Iwai ended up sharing a conversation she didn’t pay attention to, but she swore there was some sort of tension between the two. Maybe, it was her imagination. 

Eventually, Iwai begrudgingly laid out various models of concealable pistols, and she was examining them. There were about ten different ones, and Iwai went on to explain most of them to her in detail, while Akechi made suggestions here and there. While deciding, she ended up looking towards the wall of fake guns again, and instantly spotted one that caught her eye. 

“What about that one?” [Name] pointed to the gun on the wall, and Iwai looked at her like she was a bit crazy.

“A .45 revolver?” 

“Yeah, that looks fine.” 

After spending almost forty minutes explaining the other guns in detail, he huffed out a sigh and pulled off the wall.

“Are you sure that’s the one you want?” Akechi looked at her a bit concerned again. Nobody uses a revolver for self defense anymore, at least in modern Japan. Of every model she had to pick, why that one?

The gun was calling out to her, it was perfect! She knows how they work, she's seen a western movie before! 

She ended up paying for the prop weapon, and it turned out to be an arm and a leg, at least for a maid who works only two to three nights a week. Iwai wrapped it up, and stuck it in a paper bag before handing it to her. Before they left, she swore that he was staring down Akechi again. 

“Sorry for bringing you all the way out here and then just kinda going with my gut, Akechi.” [Name] bowed towards him, turning away a bit shyly. 

It wasn’t a complete waste of his night, he got to see her again. But, she was still as confusing as ever. What was she trying to hide from him? Another thought struck his mind, does she somehow have access to the Metaverse? No, that can’t be. He’s the only one who even knows about it. If anyone else had the ability, he would have known by now. But.. he can't completely rule that out yet. 

“If you want, I can take you to Big Bang Burger or something…” She trailed off, looking at all the various shops down the road. 

“Please, look up [Name].” He said, to which she looked at him like a child being scolded. “You don’t need to apologize so much, okay?” 

“Oh, I’m so-- no, wait I’m not sorry! You like coffee and pancakes.. What else do you like?” She asked, face a bit flustered.

What does he like? 

He’s tolerant of most things, usually not showing like or dislike towards anything. He does have a fondness for coffee and the sweet cakes but.. He can’t really think of anything he actually likes. No one has really ever asked him before.

“I’m not too sure.” He responded, quizzically. 

“Well..” She put her hands behind her back. “You do put a lot of sugar and cream in your coffee, oh, and you really enjoyed all the whipped cream on the pancakes. I’ll get you something sweet!”

Sweet. 

The sweetness of the sugar in his hot coffee, he absolutely loves. The sweet scent of syrup on those outrageously expensive pancakes, he also loves. The sweet, kind woman that offered him a scarf on a snowy day, or the gentle hand that held his shoulder and told him to return okay. He hates it. He hates it with a burning passion. Does he really like sweet things? 

This time, she offered her hand to him. 

“I know a cute little ice cream shop a bit away. I’ll get you something, Akechi.”

He took her hand, and they continued down the streets of Shibuya.

He needs to speak to her again.

Every single time they meet, he has more and more questions.

Was he reading too deep into the situation to begin with? No, she was definitely lying to him, he was sure of it. He has interrogated enough people in his life to know that. No way she would be a part of the metaverse. That place destroys people, look at him. She’s too… pure. 

As the two of them ended up ordering ice cream, they shared more small conversations, and her telling bad jokes. She would talk about the new book she read, or how much she loved music. 

Akechi knew that he needed to see her again, he needed to fill this hunger that he has for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title was changed to "Life Will Change" from 'To heal two broken hearts'.


End file.
